{"id":2319006,"date":"2024-08-04T13:34:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-04T17:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tropical-storm-debby-barrels-toward-florida-with-potential-record-setting-rains-further-north-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-04T13:39:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-04T17:39:49","slug":"tropical-storm-debby-barrels-toward-florida-with-potential-record-setting-rains-further-north-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tropical-storm-debby-barrels-toward-florida-with-potential-record-setting-rains-further-north-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Tropical Storm Debby barrels toward Florida, with potential record-setting rains further north &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftropical-storm-debby-barrels-toward-florida-with-potential-record-setting-rains-further-north-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2319006&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Tropical Storm Debby is intensifying as it \u200dapproaches Florida, with predictions that it may develop into a Category 1 hurricane before \u2063making landfall in the Big Bend region\u2064 on Monday. Currently located about 130 miles west-southwest of Tampa, the storm is moving north-northwest with sustained winds of 65 mph. Authorities \u200care warning of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-calls-florida-mayors-about-hurricane-ian-but-excludes-gov-desantis\/\" title=\"Biden Calls Florida Mayors About Hurricane Ian but Excludes Gov. DeSantis\">significant storm surge<\/a> \u2062along Florida&#8217;s\u2064 Gulf Coast, with inundation expected to reach between 6 \u200cto 10 feet.<\/p>\n<p>Governor Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to prepare for \u2063heavy rainfall and potential flooding, \u2062emphasizing \u200cthat the state has initiated measures to mitigate power outages during the storm. Debby could cause record-breaking rainfall, with projections of \u2062up to 30 inches \u200din parts of \u200dGeorgia and South Carolina, especially impacting areas like Savannah and Charleston.<\/p>\n<p>A hurricane warning is\u200c in\u2064 effect for parts of the Big Bend and Florida Panhandle, with\u2064 emergency declarations \u2063made in several counties. \u200cPreparations include mandatory and voluntary\u200d evacuations, opening shelters, and distributing sandbags in\u2062 vulnerable \u200cregions. Florida State University will close on Monday in \u200bresponse to the storm&#8217;s threat, and the National Guard is being activated to assist in emergency responses.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Tropical Storm Debby barrels toward Florida, could see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-becomes-second-state-to-pass-rule-turning-recycled-sewage-water-into-drinking-water\/\" title=\"California is now the second state to allow recycled sewage water for drinking\">record-setting rains<\/a> further north<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1722151\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>MIAMI (AP) &mdash;<\/strong> Tropical Storm Debby strengthened rapidly Sunday and was expected to become a hurricane as it moved&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hurricane-carlotta-tropical-weather-9728261cc1cd498245be30c92738b432\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>through the Gulf of Mexico<\/a>&nbsp;toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Florida\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Florida<\/a>, bringing with it the threat of devastating floods to the southeast Atlantic coast later in the week.<\/p>\n<p>The storm was likely to become a Category 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hurricane\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>hurricane<\/a> before making landfall Monday in the Big Bend region of Florida, the National Hurricane Center in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Miami\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Miami<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<p>From there, the storm is expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, drenching the region with the potential of record-setting rains totaling up to 30 inches beginning Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s some really amazing rainfall totals being forecast and amazing in a bad way,&rdquo; Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said at a briefing Sunday. &ldquo;That would be record-breaking rainfall associated with a tropical cyclone for both the states of Georgia and South Carolina if we got up to the 30 inch level.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The flooding impacts, which could last through Friday, are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Georgia<\/a>; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>The hurricane center said in an update posted at 11 a.m. Sunday that Debby was located about 130 miles (210 kilometers) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south-southwest of Cedar Key, Florida. The storm was moving north-northwest at 13 mph (21 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (105 kph), up from 50 mph (80) just a few hours ago.<\/p>\n<p>Officials also warned of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/officials-issue-mandatory-evacuation-orders-ahead-of-hurricane-ian\/\" title=\"Officials Issue Mandatory Evacuation Orders Ahead of Hurricane Ian\">life-threatening storm surge<\/a> along Florida&rsquo;s Gulf Coast, with 6 to 10 feet of inundation expected Monday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;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,&rdquo; Florida Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Ron-DeSantis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ron DeSantis<\/a> said in a Sunday morning briefing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But we are absolutely going to see a lot of rainfall. We are going to see a lot of saturation. We are going to see flooding events,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There is also going to be power outages.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis said that, for the first time, constructed flood control devices are being placed at utility stations to try to minimize the risk of power interruptions because of flooding.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We think that is going to be able to mitigate some of the power outages,&rdquo; DeSantis said.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, wind and thunderstorms have spread over a broad area including southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.<\/p>\n<p>Debby is the fourth&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tropical-storm-depression-hurricane-debby-invest-97l-5dd4956e4845f9e79f6662eaf71dead4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>named storm<\/a>&nbsp;of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.<\/p>\n<p>The National Hurricane Center in Miami predicted the system will strengthen as it curves off the southwest Florida coast, where the water has been extremely warm.<\/p>\n<p>A hurricane warning was issued for parts of the Big Bend and the Florida Panhandle, while tropical storm warnings were posted for Florida&rsquo;s West Coast, the southern Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. A tropical storm watch extended farther west into the Panhandle. A warning means storm conditions are expected within 36 hours, while a watch means they are possible within 48 hours.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/rain-florida-flooding-hurricane-season-bb31b2d8ac01ee1300642ce674c6e61c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Tropical storms and hurricanes<\/a>&nbsp;can trigger river flooding and overwhelm drainage systems and canals. Forecasters warned of 6 to 12 inches of rain and up to 18 inches in isolated areas of Florida, which could create &ldquo;locally considerable&rdquo; flash and urban flooding. Forecasters also warned of moderate flooding for some rivers along Florida&rsquo;s West Coast.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Storm surge expected to hit Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay<\/h2>\n<p>Flat Florida is prone to flooding even on sunny days, and the storm was predicted to bring a surge of 2 to 4 feet along most of the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, with a storm tide of up to 7 feet north of there in the sparsely populated Big Bend region.<\/p>\n<p>Forecasters warned of &ldquo;a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation&rdquo; in a region that includes Hernando Beach, Crystal River, Steinhatchee and Cedar Key. Officials in Citrus and Levy counties ordered a mandatory evacuation of coastal areas, while those in Hernando, Manatee, Pasco and Taylor counties called for voluntary evacuations. Shelters opened in those and some other counties<\/p>\n<p>Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast estimated 21,000 people live in his county&rsquo;s evacuation zone. Officials rescued 73 people from storm surge flooding during last year&rsquo;s Hurricane Idalia. Prendergast said by phone that he hopes not to have a repeat with Debby.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;After the storm surge does come in, we simply don&rsquo;t have enough first responders in our agency and among the other first responders in the county to go in and rescue everybody that might need to be rescued,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flood preparations underway<\/h2>\n<p>DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida&rsquo;s 67 counties, with the National Guard activating 3,000 guard members. Georgia Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Brian-Kemp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Brian Kemp<\/a> made his own emergency proclamation on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>The White House said federal and Florida officials were in touch and FEMA &ldquo;pre-positioned&rdquo; resources including water and food.<\/p>\n<p>In Tampa alone, officials gave out more than 30,000 sandbags to barricade against flooding.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got our stormwater drains cleared out. We&rsquo;ve got our generators all checked and full. We&rsquo;re doing everything that we need to be prepared to face a tropical storm,&rdquo; Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.<\/p>\n<p>Florida State University in Tallahassee will be closed Monday due to the storm, the school announced.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, crews pulled floating cranes away from a bridge construction project across Tampa Bay, lashing together 74 barges and 24 floating cranes and anchoring them, project engineer Marianne Brinson told the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/08\/03\/hurricanes-tropical-storms-florida-debby-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Tampa Bay Times<\/em><\/a>. Crews also laid down cranes on land on their sides.<\/p>\n<p>Emergency managers in New England and New York were already monitoring the path of the storm for the possibility of remnants striking their states. States including New York and Vermont have been hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent weeks and were still coping with flooding and saturated ground.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/?d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vermont, in particular, suffered two separate flooding events in July, and another could bring heavy damage to communities still repairing from earlier floods. The July storms came on the heels of &ldquo;last summer&rsquo;s flood, destroying infrastructure, homes, and property,&rdquo; Gov. Phil Scott said Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>For some, the name Debby summons bad memories of a 2012 tropical storm of the same name that caused $250 million in losses and eight deaths, including seven in the Sunshine State. That storm dumped torrential rains, including an astronomical 29 inches south of Tallahassee.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1722151\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1722151\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tropical Storm Debby is rapidly intensifying and is anticipated to become a hurricane as it approaches Florida, posing a significant risk of severe flooding along the southeastern Atlantic coast later this week. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Debby is likely to reach Category 1 hurricane status before making landfall on Monday in Florida&#8217;s Big Bend area. After that, it is expected to move eastward across northern Florida and then stall over coastal Georgia and South Carolina, potentially bringing record-breaking rainfall of up to 30 inches starting Tuesday. Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, noted that such rainfall amounts would set records for tropical cyclones in both Georgia and South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>The flooding effects could persist through Friday, particularly impacting low-lying coastal areas like Savannah (GA), Hilton Head (SC), and Charleston (SC). As of Sunday morning, Debby was located approximately 130 miles west-southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds increasing from 50 mph to 65 mph. Officials have also warned about life-threatening storm surges along Florida\u2019s Gulf Coast, predicting inundation levels between 6 to 10 feet on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to prepare for the impending hurricane impact while emphasizing that significant rainfall and potential power outages are expected. For the first time, flood control measures are being implemented at utility stations to reduce power interruption risks due to flooding.<\/p>\n<p>Wind and thunderstorms have already affected southern Florida and surrounding areas. Debby marks the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season for 2024 following Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl, and Tropical Storm Chris earlier in June. A hurricane warning has been issued for parts of Big Bend and the Panhandle while tropical storm warnings extend along much of Florida&#8217;s West Coast.<\/p>\n<p>Forecasters predict heavy rain\u2014between 6-12 inches with isolated areas receiving up to 18 inches\u2014which could lead to flash floods as well as moderate river flooding along Florida\u2019s West Coast. The storm surge threat includes a rise of up to four feet across most Gulf Coast regions including Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n<p>Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in Citrus County while voluntary evacuations were recommended in several other counties due to anticipated storm surge impacts. Emergency preparations are underway statewide; DeSantis declared a state emergency for most counties while activating National Guard members.<\/p>\n<p>In response efforts within Tampa alone included distributing over 30 thousand sandbags for flood protection measures ahead of Debby&#8217;s arrival. Additionally, some educational institutions like Florida State University will close on Monday due to safety concerns related directly or indirectly from this weather event.<\/p>\n<p>As New England states monitor Debby&#8217;s trajectory closely given their recent experiences with heavy rains leading into potential further damage from additional storms\u2014especially Vermont which faced severe flooding earlier this summer\u2014the name &#8220;Debby&#8221; evokes memories from a previous tropical storm by that name which caused extensive damage back in 2012<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2634,"featured_media":2319007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/tropical-storm-debby.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[37132,5113,37133,37131,3832],"class_list":["post-2319006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-debby","tag-florida","tag-record-rainfall","tag-tropical-storm","tag-weather"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/tropical-storm-debby.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2634"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2319006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2319007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2319006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2319006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2319006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}