Debby claims at least five lives since landfall in Florida’s Big Bend
Featured image: Tropical Storm "Debby" at 18:00 UTC on August 6, 2024. Credit: NOAA/GOES-East, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers
Hurricane “Debby” has claimed at least 5 lives since landfall near Steinhatchee in Florida’s Big Bend on August 5, 2024. 4 deaths have been reported in Florida while one has been reported in Levy County.
At least 5 deaths have been attributed to Hurricane “Debby” since it made landfall on August 5, near Steinhatchee in Florida’s Big Bend. The hurricane which has now weakened into a tropical storm is currently moving towards the northeast.
At least four people were killed in Florida, according to officials. A 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, from Crawfordville, died in a crash just before 21:30 local time (LT) on August 4 after their car lost control and hit a guardrail on U.S. Highway 19.
According to witnesses, the vehicle lost control because of the inclement weather and wet roadway.
Another boy was reported dead in Levy County on the morning of August 5 after a tree fell onto his home. No other injuries were reported, according to officials.
Debby had minimum central pressure of 979 hPa and maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h (80 mph) at the time of landfall, making it a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
At 18:00 UTC on August 6, the center of Tropical Storm “Debby” was located about 15 km (10 miles) SE of Savannah, Georgia and about 130 km (80 miles) SW of Charleston, South Carolina. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h (40 mph), minimum central pressure of 999 hPa, and was moving ENE at 7 km/h (5 mph).
A slow motion toward the east and then north is expected through Thursday night, August 8.
On the forecast track, the center of Debby is expected to move offshore the coast of Georgia later today and tonight, continue to drift offshore through early Thursday, and then move inland over South Carolina on Thursday.
The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.
The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:
- Savannah River, GA to Cape Fear, NC…0.6 – 1.2 m (2 – 4 feet).
Debby is expected to produce potentially historic rainfall totals of 254 – 508 mm (10 – 20 inches), with maximum amounts of 635 mm (25 inches), bringing areas of catastrophic flooding across portions of the eastern half of South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Friday.
From northern North Carolina through portions of the Mid-Atlantic States, 102 – 203 mm (4 – 8 inches) of rainfall, with local amounts up to 305 mm (12 inches), are expected through Sunday morning.
This rainfall will likely result in areas of considerable flash and urban flooding, with river flooding possible. An additional scattered 25 – 51 mm (1 – 2 inches) of rainfall, with maximum amounts of 102 mm (4 inches), is possible across the western portion of the Central Florida Peninsula and southeast Georgia today, which may aggravate any ongoing flooding conditions in that vicinity.
A few tornadoes are possible over coastal South Carolina and coastal southeast North Carolina today through Wednesday morning.
Large swells will continue to affect the Southeast U.S. coast through the end of the week. These conditions are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.
References:
1 Debby’s wrath leaves at least 5 dead in Florida, Georgia as tropical storm continues to lash region – FOX Weather – August 4, 2024
2 Hurricane “Debby” makes landfall in Florida, historic rains expected in parts of Georgia and the Carolinas – The Watchers – August 5, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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