U.S.
By Emily Mae Czachor
/ CBS News
Debby wreaks havoc in Florida before moving north
Tropical Storm Debby was moving slowly along a path over the southeastern United States on Tuesday, bringing torrential downpours across parts of Georgia and South Carolina that could break or tie rainfall records in both states, forecasters said.
Debby first hit land Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane over Florida's Big Bend coast and left a trail of inundation in its wake despite weakening shortly after landfall.
On Tuesday, Debby was lingering over the southeastern U.S. and closing in on Savannah, Georgia, on a path that was forecast to take the storm through Charleston, South Carolina. As of 2 p.m. ET, Debby's center was traveling east-northeast at just 5 mph — only slightly faster than the average adult's walking speed — with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm's sluggish pace meant flood risks were high across the region and could persist in some areas well into the week, or through the weekend.
"Debby is expected to produce potentially historic rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches, with maximum amounts of 25 inches, bringing areas of catastrophic flooding across portions of southeast Georgia, the eastern half of South Carolina, and southeast North Carolina through Friday," the Miami-based hurricane center said on Tuesday. "From northern North Carolina through portions of the Mid-Atlantic States, 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, with local amounts to 12 inches, are expected through Sunday morning. This rainfall will likely result in areas of considerable flash and urban flooding, with river flooding possible."
"Onthe forecast track," the hurricane center said, "the center of Debby is expected to move offshore the coast of Georgia later today, drift offshore through early Thursday, and then move inland over South Carolina on Thursday."
Although forecasters said Debby would likely gain power once it moves offshore, the strengthening should be moderate as long as it remains near the coast, as expected, which would mean limited interaction with warmer Gulf Stream waters.
Tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 205 miles east of the center, forecasters added.
Parts of Georgia under tropical storm warnings were expected to endure weather conditions typically associated with a tropical storm, like strong winds and heavy rain, for the rest of the afternoon on Tuesday, the hurricane center said. Meanwhile, forecasters anticipated tropical storm conditions would continue along the coast of South Carolina through Thursday night.
Storm surge forecast
The map below, updated early Tuesday morning, shows the highest potential peak storm surge heights including tides. Forecasters noted that the timing of peak surge and high tide in a given area, and whether they coincide or not, will ultimately determine how destructive the inundation will be.
Dangerous storm surge and tropical storm conditions were forecast to spread northward along the southeastern coast of the U.S., from northeastern Florida to North Carolina, through midweek, the National Hurricane Center said. It urged people in parts of Florida that Debby passed on Monday to beware of "deadly hazards" left in its wake, including flooded areas and downed power lines.
Heavy rainfall totals dominate the forecast
Debby was moving slowing early Tuesday, and the hurricane center said anticipated rainfall totals along its path are massive in part because the storm is lingering over each place it passes.
As Debby shifts farther east, the storm is expected to touch an expansive spread along the southeastern U.S. through the Carolinas before dissipating.
While the nation's top meteorologists warned that the storm could bring unprecedented rainfall to Georgia and South Carolina, officials in parts of Florida said they were grappling with the aftermath of record rainfall, too, and preparing for more throughout the week.
The Manatee County Emergency Operations Center, in Bradenton, reported that the area saw a level of rain not seen before, with as much as 18 inches in some places. Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday that the region would likely see another 4 or 5 inches of rain, at least, but noted that 8 more inches of rainfall was possible. DeSantis called the latter forecast a worst case scenario for already hard-hit communities.
The National Hurricane Center said additional rainfall over the central Florida peninsula, as well as southeastern Georgia, could come as early as Tuesday. Forecasts showed those places would likely see scattered rainfall totaling 1 or 2 inches, although up to 4 more inches of rain could fall.
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