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As Tropical Storm Debby moves through the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters are focusing on two potential effects of the storm’s slow speed: More time will allow the system to gain strength to become a hurricane, and if it lingers, the Southeast could see huge amounts of flooding rainfall over the next few days.
Authorities in Florida and Georgia are urging residents to prepare as the storm makes its way through the near-record-warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Debby is expected to continue strengthening and could become a hurricane by Sunday evening after being upgraded to a tropical storm a day prior, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Debby has sustained winds of 60 mph and is located about 155 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. ET Sunday update on the storm.
Hurricane conditions are expected to arrive by late Sunday night or Monday morning, with the outer bands of the storm system making their way on shore during the day Sunday.
Track the Storm: Spaghetti models and more maps here
The strengthening storm tracking up the Florida Peninsula’s western coast prompted county and state officials to issue a string of voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders as the hurricane center posted hurricane watches and warnings across several parts of the state, including near Tampa and the Big Bend region.
Tropical storm and storm surge watches have also been issued for coastal Georgia and parts of South Carolina, including Charleston.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp have declared states of emergency for their states in advance of the storm’s arrival. DeSantis on Sunday said in a news conference that he’d activated the Florida National Guard so it would be poised to assist with humanitarian needs as well as search and rescue.
