Janice R. Andrews
Debby intensifies on August 5, 2:45 AM, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph
Hurricane Debby is still becoming stronger, and the National Hurricane Center reports that its maximum sustained winds are now reaching 80 mph. Debby is now classified as a Category 1 storm. With over 10 inches of rain already falling in the Tampa Bay region, the storm is wreaking havoc on Florida’s west coast, where water rescue operations are still underway close to Clearwater. There have also been reports of significant flooding in the Fort Myers region.
From Cedar Key to Keaton Beach, the Big Bend region of Florida is seeing a rapid rise in storm surge levels, potentially inundating the shoreline with up to 10 feet of Gulf water. This region is expected to see the storm’s landfall on Monday early.
2 adrift on a sailboat off the coast of Florida are rescued by the Coast Guard on August 5, 2:21 AM
Two persons were saved by the U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday from a sailboat that was drifting in waves that were just 20 feet deep off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida. About 73 miles out, the 34-foot yacht lost its sail, and the sailors had to be flown out. They had left Key West headed toward Tarpon Springs. After the boaters failed to check in, a friend of theirs got in touch with the Coast Guard on Saturday night.
Search and rescue operation coordinator Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper said, “We received an updated satellite position from the boaters’ friend, which led to their successful location.” At around 11 a.m. on Sunday, a crew from Air Station Clearwater’s MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter came to the boats’ aid. They had been drifting in waves of fifteen to twenty feet, with winds of fifty knots and poor visibility. The names of the people who were saved have not been made public.
Debby intensifies into a hurricane on August 4, 11:17 PM
With gusts of 75 mph, Tropical Storm Debby has been upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane by the National Hurricane Center. As Debby feeds off the warm waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, where water temperatures are running three to five degrees above average, the prediction calls for more strengthening tonight. Around seven in the morning ET, landfall is predicted along Florida’s Big Bend region.
Aug 4, 9:57 PM – At 70 mph, Tropical Storm Debby is getting closer to hurricane strength
Debby is getting close to hurricane intensity, with sustained winds as high as 70 mph. It is anticipated that the storm could strengthen significantly over the course of the night as it moves north over the warm seas of the Gulf, possibly strengthening to the level of a powerful Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Monday morning around Florida’s Big Bend region. There might be gusts of above 100 mph and sustained wind speeds of up to 85 mph.
Situated around 90 miles to the southwest of Cedar Key, Florida, the storm is causing severe rains, storm surges, strong gusts, and even tornado spin-ups along the Florida Gulf Coast. Two tornadoes were observed in central Florida, and a 56 mph wind gust was reported near St. Petersburg. A wind gust of 60 mph was also recorded close to Sarasota, Florida. Along the Gulf Coast, there has been severe flooding due to strong storms and rainfall.
Much of southern Georgia, as well as northern and central Florida, are under a tornado watch, which has been extended until six a.m. ET on Monday. Debby will diminish after it crosses land, but the storm will slow down significantly due to the absence of a steering current. According to model projections, the storm is expected to veer back over Georgia and the Carolinas before circling about the Atlantic or Southeast coastline late Monday night or early Tuesday. Debby may get reenergized by interaction with the Atlantic, although it will mostly depend on the storm’s route.
With 6 to 12 inches of rain predicted to fall from Florida’s Big Bend region through southern Georgia and into the Carolinas, there is still a high degree of confidence that Debby will bring unprecedented rainfall and major floods to parts of the Southeast. Significant urban and river flooding could result from 10 to 20 inches of rain, with some locations possibly receiving up to 30 inches locally, in coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to intensify into a hurricane over night on August 4, 5:48 PM
Tropical Storm Debby had winds of 65 mph as of 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, and the National Hurricane Center predicted that it will rapidly intensify into a hurricane over night. Monday morning at 7 a.m., Debby is predicted to make landfall as a hurricane in the Florida Big Bend region. Rain is anticipated to be the most significant weather feature, hitting a large area over a prolonged period of time.
“Across portions of southeast Georgia and South Carolina, 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, with local amounts up to 30 inches, are expected through Friday morning,” said the National Hurricane Center. “This potentially historic rainfall will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding.”
Aug 4, 4:14 PM – With Debby expected to make landfall, Alachua County, Florida, ordered evacuations
Ahead of Debby’s approach, which is expected to be a hurricane when it makes landfall on Monday, residents of Alachua County, Florida, who dwell in prefabricated homes, mobile homes, and recreational vehicles were ordered to evacuate on Sunday. It is also advised that residents in low-lying regions that are vulnerable to floods and those near rivers and lakes leave. Alachua County’s major city is Gainesville.
“We encourage residents affected to find alternative housing with friends, family, or short-term rentals,” said county authorities. For anyone in need, three shelters are being opened by Alachua County.
Tornado watch issued Aug. 4, 3:24 PM, as Debby tracks parallel to Florida’s Gulf Coast
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch on Sunday afternoon as Tropical Storm Debby made its way northward in the Gulf of Mexico, paralleling the Gulf Coast of Florida. With gusts of 65 mph, Debby was still classified as a tropical storm by the National Hurricane Center at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. The storm is expected to deliver severe weather, particularly heavy rain, to coastal cities. For much of Florida, there is a tornado watch in place through Sunday night. It is anticipated that Debby will intensify into a hurricane on Sunday night and that it will likely make landfall in the Florida Panhandle’s Big Bend region on Monday morning.
Aug 4, 1:18 PM – Debby and Northeast thunderstorms caused the cancellation of almost 1,600 flights
Hurricane Tropical The Northeast’s Debby and thunderstorms have forced airlines to postpone or cancel Sunday’s flights. FlightAware reports that on Sunday, at least 1,613 flights into, out of, and within the United States were canceled nationally, while an additional 3,213 flights were delayed. More than any other airline, American Airlines canceled 601 flights on Sunday, or around 16% of the total number of flights.
Currently a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico, Debby is predicted to become a Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning and make landfall in the Florida Panhandle around the Big Bend region. Delays and cancellations have also been caused by severe thunderstorms that are coming up the East Coast; a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for portions of the mid-Atlantic states through Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.
With 214 canceled and an additional 172 delayed flights on Sunday, Charlotte Douglas International Airport saw the highest number of flight cancellations. LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy international airports in New York City reported a total of 363 canceled and 258 delayed flights on Sunday. There were 151 delayed flights and 209 canceled flights at Miami International Airport. Major cancellations were also reported at Orlando, Tampa, Philadelphia, Newark, Washington, D.C., and Dallas-Fort Worth airports.
Ten million people are on tropical storm alert on Florida’s Gulf Coast as of August 4, 12:12 PM.
As Debby approached the region on Sunday and was expected to make landfall in the Panhandle region on Monday, around 10 million people along Florida’s west coast as well as up to Georgia and the Carolinas were under a tropical storm alert. Currently a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico, Debby is predicted to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Big Bend between 7 and 8 a.m. Currently located around 190 miles southwest of Tampa.
On Florida’s west coast, Debby is predicted to cause storm surges of four to seven feet in Cedar Key and Crystal River, and two to five feet in Tampa and Sarasota, farther south. Up to 20 inches of rain are expected in some areas of Tallahassee and Jacksonville as the storm moves in. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the storm is predicted to cause possible flooding in Georgia and the Carolinas.
Aug 4, 11:01 AM – DeSantis search and rescue alerted by the National Guard
When Tropical Storm Debby makes landfall on Monday, Florida National Guard personnel should be ready to perform search and rescue operations, according to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The Florida Panhandle region is predicted to see widespread flooding, especially in the Big Bend region where Debby is predicted to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane.
DeSantis said, “The Florida National Guard is standing by with 3,000 service members ready to assist the state Emergency Response Team, which includes search-and-rescue, route clearance, commodity distribution, and protection of critical infrastructure.” At least 12 fast boat teams and flat-bottom jon boat personnel are also on standby for rescues, the governor continued. Pre-staged supplies include over 30,000 water bottles, over 160,000 meals, and approximately 14,000 tarps in areas of Florida predicted to be severely affected by the hurricane. Up to 17 utility providers in Florida have been contacted.
