Debby Now A Hurricane Nearing Florida Gulf Coast | Weather.com (2024)

Hurricane Debby could bring historically heavy rainfall, gusty winds and a few tornadoes, from north Florida to coastal South Carolina after moving ashore in Florida's Big Bend region Monday.

(​MAPS: Spaghetti Models, Satellite, Current Observations And More)

D​ebby became the season's second hurricane of the season late Sunday evening.

F​lash flooding is the number one concern with Debby. NOAA has issued their highest level of flood outlook for both Monday and Tuesday, shown in pink on the maps below. These areas will likely experience damaging flooding and could experience life-threatening flooding.

The National Hurricane Center stated in their Sunday evening discussion that "potentially historic heavy rainfall across southeast Georgia and South Carolina through Friday morning will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding."

(MORE: Why You Should Pay Attention To High Risk Flood Forecasts)

H​ere's where watches and warnings are in effect: A hurricane warning is in effect for the Florida Big Bend region from the Suwannee River to Yankeetown.

Tropical storm warnings cover the rest of western and northern Florida and for southern and coastal Georgia and for coastal South Carolina.

A storm surge warning has also been issued in the Florida Big Bend from the middle of Longboat Key northward to the Indian Pass and for the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. Life-threatening storm surge is expected in these areas.

A storm surge watch continues southward from Englewood to Longboat Key, including Charlotte Harbor.

Here's where the hurricane is now. Hurricane Debby is moving through the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and north Florida and is traveling northward. Rain is spreading across Florida and southern Georiga. Tornado warnings and flash flood warnings have been issued on and off.

Gusts have been between 50-70 mph along the immediate Florida Gulf Coast this evening, including a gust to 70 mph at the Skyway fishing pier in Manatee County, and 60 mph gusts have been reported in Clearwater, Sarasota and St. Petersburg. W​ind gusts topped 50 mph throughout the Florida Keys at times Sunday morning.

S​everal feet of storm surge is being reported from Fort Myers Beach to Cedar Key. The latest water levels include 4 feet in Cedar Key and 2 feet in St. Petersburg and Cedar Key above normally dry ground. Flooding is being reported along the coast, including in Punta Gorda and Tarpon Springs.

Here's the latest projected path and intensity forecast. T​he latest National Hurricane Center forecast shows this system moving ashore in Florida's Big Bend region on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane.

It's important to note that impacts from this system will be felt across much of the Florida Peninsula and well inland across the Southeast, and not just where the system makes landfall. Water is likely to have a bigger impact than the wind.

Debby is forecast to track toward the Southeast coast by Tuesday or Wednesday, where it could intensify again, if it reaches the Atlantic. T​here is an increasing possibility this system might slow down or even stall somewhere near the Southeast coast, which could prolong impacts, especially flooding rain.

(Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)

B​reaking Down The Impacts

As noted before, the biggest impact from Debby is expected to be its rainfall. The system will bring rainfall to Florida through Monday or Tuesday. Heavy rain could linger in Florida early in the week ahead while also spreading up through eastern Georgia and the eastern Carolinas. That means flash flooding and river flooding are possible in all of those areas. This rainfall could be life-threatening.

As Debby slows down or stalls, it will prolong impacts near the Southeast coast and somewhat inland – particularly heavy rain. The slower a tropical system moves, the greater the rainfall. A study released last year by the NHC found rainfall flooding was responsible for the most direct U.S. deaths from tropical storms and hurricanes since 2013.

Rainfall totals of 6 to 12 inches (locally up to 18 inches) are possible across parts of northern Florida this week. Rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches are a concern in portions of southeast Georgia and South Carolina, with localized amounts up to 30 inches possible through Friday morning.

(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)

S​torm Surge

Coastal flooding from storm surge is possible on the western coast of Florida this weekend.

The surge could reach 6 to 10 feet above normal tide levels if the peak surge arrives at high tide in Florida's Big Bend. Most other areas could see a storm surge of 2 to 6 feet, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.

Eventually, coastal flooding could affect the Southeast coast early next week, with 2 to 4 feet currently expected for parts of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.

W​ind And Tornado Threats

Gusty winds will spread northward across northern Florida on Monday, then the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Tuesday and Wednesday. The times on the map below are indicative of when you should have all preparations complete.

S​tronger wind gusts will cause power outages or tree damage, especially near and inland from where the eventual center of the system tracks.

T​here is also the possibility of a few tornadoes in Florida through early Monday. An isolated tornado is also possible early this week along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.

Be sure to check back frequently to weather.com and The Weather Channel app for forecast updates in the days ahead.

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