Debby has been downgraded from a tropical storm but continues to lash the coasts of the Carolinas with rain
Debby has been downgraded from a tropical storm but is lashing the coasts of the Carolinas with rain. Into the weekend, forecasters say parts of the East Coast can expect heavy downpours, flash flooding and possible tornadoes. The mid-Atlantic states and parts of New York and New England will see significant rainfall that could cause dangerous flooding. Interstate 95 near bigger cities could be affected.
Here’s the Latest:
A 78-year-old woman in North Carolina died after a tree fell on her home Thursday, raising the death toll from Debby to at least eight.
That is according to Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman’s house is in an unincorporated community called Browns Summit, in Rockingham County and northeast of Greensboro.
On Thursday alone, tornadoes spawned by Debby leveled homes, damaged a school and killed one person, as the system dropped heavy rain and flooded communities across the Carolinas.
The town of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, was hit early Friday by flash flooding from the remnants of Debby, with the National Weather Service saying it received reports of up to 3 feet (0.9 meters) of fast-moving water in roadways.
“We have multiple swift water rescue teams responding to flooded areas,” officials in surrounding Berkeley County said on the social platform X, and an emergency shelter was opened at Berkeley Middle School.
The water flooded homes and businesses in Moncks Corner, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) inland from Charleston.
The town earlier in the week was damaged — including businesses battered and vehicles flipped over — after Debby spawned tornadoes.
Accuweather’s chief meteorologist Jon Porter said Debby will be remembered for its “very slow movement,” dumping large amounts of rain throughout North Carolina.
Some parts of the state saw 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 centimeters) of rain an hour — a rate capable of catastrophic flooding, he said.
And even though the rainfall is ending in some areas, Porter warned people still need to be vigilant about runoff from waterways that could have lingering flooding issues for several days. Heavy rainfall is still expected in northern parts of North Carolina into Thursday night, he said.
Over the next few days, the heaviest rain will be west of the Interstate 95 corridor, especially in more mountainous areas where the terrain forces the storm up in elevation and wrings out its tropical moisture, Porter said. That could lead to flash flooding.
Mid-Atlantic states and parts of New York and New England will also see significant rainfall that could cause dangerous flooding into the weekend, including on parts of I-95 near bigger cities. From eastern Virginia up to Vermont, there may be an active stretch of tornadoes on Friday, he said.
“There will be multiple threats in Debby’s final chapter, and it’s a dangerous one,” he said.
Porter said there’s a “long way to go” for hurricane season, noting the historic peak of the season is in mid-September. He anticipates the next few weeks will be a “more active time period” for major tropical storms to crop up in the Atlantic.
Some residents of Southeast Georgia were warned to brace for additional flooding Thursday even after Debby had cleared out for the Carolinas, as rivers swollen with rainfall overflowed their banks.
The Ogeechee River west of Savannah was forecast to reach its major flood stage Thursday night. The National Weather Service predicted the river would continue to rise before cresting at 19.5 feet (6 meters) early Sunday.
Emergency officials in Effingham County called for residents of two roads near the Ogeechee River to evacuate Thursday. In neighboring Chatham County, which includes Savannah, officials were allowing residents to decide whether to leave.
“Expect water where you have not seen water before,” Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis told a news conference. He added: “If you have a substantial amount of water in your yards, I would say evacuate now while you still have a chance.”
Chatham County officials said rescue teams with boats had already taken 17 people to safety from homes threatened by river flooding. Ellis estimated more than 250 people live in the area.
The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Debby to a tropical depression.
Debby has maximum sustained wind speeds of 35 mph (55 kph), as of the weather service’s latest advisory at around 4:30 p.
