Tropical Storm Debby was strengthening rapidly Sunday and was expected to become a hurricane as it churned through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, bringing w
ith it the threat of devastating floods to the southeast Atlantic coast later in the week.
Flooding impacts could last through Friday and are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. The hurricane center said in a 5 p.m. update that Debby was located about 120 miles west of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph . The storm was moving north at 12 mph .
He said it would follow a similar track to Hurricane Idalia, which lashed the state last year, but would "be much wetter. We are going to see much more inundation." Tropical storms and hurricanes 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.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.
"I've been here 29 years. This isn't the first time I've done it. Do you get used to it? No," Mark Reblin said as he moved items out of the liquor store he owns.
Flooding Storm Surge Tropical Storm Debby Hurricane Rainfall Evacuations Gulf Coast
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