Tropical Storm Debby formed in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Saturday as folks across Florida brace for the storm’s impacts.
Warnings and watches span the state’s western shores as Debby steadily gathers steam and heads toward an early Monday landfall.
Forecasters expect the storm to stall over the southeastern states heading into next week, a slow track that would likely unleash widespread flooding rains from Florida to North Carolina.
Vacationers are advised to keep a close watch on forecasts over the coming days. Prepare a hurricane kit and stay alert for potential watches, warnings, and evacuation orders as this system progresses.
Keep up with all the latest news and information this season at The Weather Network’s hurricanes hub page.
A long-watched tropical disturbance quickly grew more organized as it passed over Cuba to begin the weekend, growing into Tropical Storm Debby on Saturday afternoon.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that tropical storm conditions were likely to reach the western shores of Florida by Sunday.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for portions of the region, including the communities of Key West, Naples, Ft. Myers, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Tampa proper.
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Flash flooding from heavy rainfall is far and away the greatest threat with any landfalling storm—even one that doesn’t have a name.
Additionally, folks throughout Florida can expect a risk for tornadoes, rough surf, and rip currents as a result of this disturbance.
The tropical storm’s track will likely take the system across the Florida Peninsula through the weekend before crossing into the western Atlantic by Monday morning.
Debby will enter a complex environment that’ll make its future track and intensity a bit more uncertain. Two strong ridges of high pressure—one over the western Atlantic, another over the southern U.S.—will each push and pull on the storm.
As a result of that setup, the storm is likely to stall over or near Georgia and the Carolinas, drenching the region with a prolonged rainfall event. This is likely to cause major flooding issues throughout the region.
Anyone visiting popular vacation destinations along the Atlantic coast, including the cities of Savannah, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Wilmington, should keep a very close eye on this storm and prepare to act if watches or warnings are issued for the region.
It’s still too soon to say what, if any, impacts this system could have on Atlantic Canada late next week. Stay tuned and keep checking back for details throughout the weekend.
Header image courtesy of NOAA.
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