Tropical Storm Debby Intensifies, Set to Hit Florida as Hurricane
Florida, The Gulf Observer: Tropical Storm Debby has been rapidly intensifying and is expected to become a hurricane as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico towards the Florida coast. The National Hurricane Center provided an update at 8 am local time (1200 GMT) on Sunday, reporting that Debby was located approximately 250 kilometers southwest of Tampa, Florida, and about 330 kilometers south-southwest of Cedar Key, Florida.
The storm is moving north-northwest at 20 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds increasing to 85 kilometers per hour from 80 kilometers per hour earlier in the day. The hurricane center stated that Debby is strengthening over the southeastern Gulf and is expected to reach hurricane status before making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region.
“I’d urge all Floridians to be cognizant of the fact that we are going to have a hurricane hit the state, probably a Category 1, but it could be a little bit more powerful than that,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a Sunday morning briefing. He emphasized the likelihood of significant rainfall, flooding, and power outages.
Wind and thunderstorms have already spread over a broad area, including southern Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas. Debby is anticipated to bring heavy rain and coastal flooding to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast by Sunday night, with the system potentially coming ashore as a hurricane on Monday and crossing over northern Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters also warn of 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, following Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl, and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June. The National Hurricane Center in Miami predicts that the system will continue to strengthen as it moves over the warm waters off the southwest Florida coast, with intensification expected to accelerate later on Sunday.
Governor DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, and the National Guard has activated 3,000 members. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued his own emergency proclamation on Saturday. The White House announced that federal and Florida officials are in contact, and FEMA has pre-positioned resources, including water and food.
In Tampa, officials distributed more than 30,000 sandbags to help residents prepare for flooding.
