Tropical depression ramps up into Tropical Storm Debby

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Tropical depression ramps up into Tropical Storm Debby

A tropical depression has strengthened into Tropical Storm Debby as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say the storm now has maximum sustained winds of 65km/h.

Debby was located about 160km west-southwest of Key West, Florida on Saturday and was moving toward the northwest at 24km/h.

Wind and thunderstorms have spread over a broad region, including southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.

Debby is likely to bring drenching rain and coastal flooding to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast by Sunday night, and predictions show the system could come ashore as a strong tropical storm or hurricane Monday and cross over northern Florida into the Atlantic Ocean.

Forecasters warn it could also drop heavy rains over north Florida and the Atlantic coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina early next week.

Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami forecast that the system will strengthen as it curves off the southwest Florida coast, where the water has been extremely warm with temperatures approaching 33C this week.

The system could make landfall as strong tropical storm or hurricane

Predictions show Debby could come ashore as strong tropical storm or hurricane on Monday and cross over northern Florida into the Atlantic Ocean, where it’s likely to remain a tropical storm threatening Georgia and the Carolinas early next week.

Tropical storm warnings were posted for most of Florida’s West Coast and the Dry Tortugas, and a hurricane watch was issued for parts of the Big Bend and Florida Panhandle. A warning means storm conditions are expected within 36 hours, while a watch means they are possible within 48 hours.

Tropical storms and hurricanes can trigger river flooding and overwhelm drainage systems and canals. Forecasters warned of 125mm to 250mm of rain, which could create “locally considerable” flash and urban flooding.

Some of the heaviest rains could actually come next week in a region along the Atlantic Coast from Jacksonville, Florida, to the north through coastal regions of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The storm is expected to slow down after making landfall.

“We could see a stall or a meandering motion around coastal portions of the southeastern ******* States,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said in a Saturday briefing.

“So that’s going to exacerbate not just the rainfall risk, but also the potential for storm surge and some strong winds.”

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