Debby is fueled by exceptionally warm Gulf waters
The storm could be likened to Hurricane Harvey, which slammed into Corpus Christi, Texas, in August 2017 Photo: Shutterstock
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to strengthen rapidly into a hurricane before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast by midday on Monday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Sunday, warning of life-threatening storm surges.
By 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, it had sustained winds of 70 mph (112 km/h), just 4 mph shy of being designated a hurricane, and is expected to strengthen into the night.
Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The hurricane center forecast life-threatening conditions, including storm surges up to 10 feet (3 meters) in some areas.
As it slowly moves north through the week, the storm may bring «potentially historic rainfall» of between 10 and 20 inches (25 and 50 cm) and catastrophic flooding to Georgia and South Carolina, it said. Local areas could receive 30 inches of rain by Friday morning, the report said.
«This is going to be the story of this storm», said Jamie Rhome, the deputy director of the hurricane center. «It’s slow motion is going to dump historic amounts of rainfall — potentially over 20 inches. You’re talking about catastrophic flooding.»
The storm could be likened to Hurricane Harvey, which slammed into Corpus Christi, Texas, in August 2017. While downgraded into a tropical storm as it moved inland, it lingered over the state, dumping about 50 inches of rain on Houston.
