Tropical Storm Debby is threatening coastal Georgia and the Carolinas as it slows down and potentially stalls over the Southeast. The storm could dump more than 2 feet of rain and cause catastrophic flooding.
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Tropical Storm Debby is expected to dump torrential rain along the Eastern Seaboard that could lead to catastrophic flooding, with rainfall amounts that could exceed 25 inches, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns.
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A vehicle was left stranded in floodwaters in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as heavy rain from Storm Debby lashed the region on Tuesday. Footage captured by StormRunner Media shows a car stranded in floodwaters along North Ocean Boulevard as rain continues to fall.
The tropical storm is expected to make a second landfall in South Carolina sometime overnight, packing strong winds with gusts of 40-65 mph along the upper South Carolina coast and up toward Cape Fear, North Carolina.
States of emergency have been declared in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina in anticipation of Debby.
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(FOX Weather)
After making landfall along Florida’s Big Bend on Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane, Debby dumped more than 20 inches of rain, sent feet of storm surge flooding into Southwest Florida and knocked out power to more than 300,000 customers in the Sunshine State at the height of the storm.
However, Debby is far from done.
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Crews work to help water drain as homes are flooded in the Tremont Park neighborhood August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty)
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Homes are flooded in the Tremont Park neighborhood August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty)
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A man walks on a flooded street due to Tropical Storm Debby on August 06, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty)
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Houses are seen in a flooded street due to Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty)
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A street is flooded by Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024, in Charleston, South Carolina. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty)
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Power line crews come out to help people who are experiencing difficulty with their power August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty)
Debby is currently off the South Carolina coast, where it’s expected to gain some juice and gradually re-strengthen over the next 24 hours. The disorganized nature of the storm and the fact that it will not move far enough east to encounter the warm Gulf Stream should only lead to limited intensification.
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Weather officials warned the Charleston area to expect
Heavy rainfall across portions of eastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina is expected to persist through Thursday, broadening areas of considerable flooding, the NHC said.
Here’s a look at rain totals still to come from Debby.
(FOX Weather)
Starting Friday, the storm will finally get a kick north, and heavy rain will spread all the way into the Northeast, the FOX Forecast Center said. Pockets of significant flooding will be possible Friday and Saturday from the Carolinas all the way into Maine.
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has issued a Level 4 flood risk, the highest threat on its scale, for Wednesday and Thursday in parts of northeastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina. The risk will only slowly shift north each day as Debby slowly meanders near the U.S. East Coast.
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A look at the flash flood outlook for the next three days.
(FOX Weather)
The potential for life-threatening flooding is due to the lack of forward motion with Debby that will keep sending repeated rounds of torrential rain toward the Southeast coast, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Tropical storm conditions will spread northward along the Southeast U.S. coast from South Carolina to North Carolina through Thursday. Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches are in effect for portions of that region.
A look at the tropical alerts issued as Debby is set to make second landfall.
(FOX Weather)
A dangerous storm surge is possible along the coast of South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina from the South Santee River to Cape Fear, the NHC warns.
In addition to the flooding rainfall and tropical-storm-force winds, a few tornadoes are also expected across the Southeast this week.