Tropical Storm Debby continues trek up East Coast

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ORLANDO, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis will travel Tuesday to areas hit by Hurricane Debby, as flood risks increase from the storm dumping rain in North Florida and Georgia.

Debby made landfall about 7 a.m. Monday as a Category 1 storm in Steinhatchee in Taylor County. As forecast, it produced large amounts of rain and storm surge without packing catastrophic winds. The system slowed once overland and inched across the Georgia border at 7 mph in a north-northeast direction.

"The hazards from this system are far-reaching and will be long-lasting," Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said Monday afternoon during a briefing at the state Emergency Operations Center. "Depending on the type of basin and the type of river that we're dealing with … this is going to be about a week-long event that we're going to be monitoring."

Debby brings flood risks, less wind damage

Gov. Ron DeSantis will travel Tuesday to areas hit by Hurricane Debby, as flood risks increase from the storm dumping rain in North Florida and Georgia. Debby made landfall about 7 a.m. Monday as a Category 1 storm in Steinhatchee in Taylor County. As forecast, it produced large amounts of rain and storm surge without packing catastrophic winds. The system slowed once overland and inched across the Georgia border at 7 mph in a north-northeast direction.

Debby had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph at landfall and was downgraded to a tropical storm by 11 a.m. as it moved slowly across North Florida. While additional weakening was expected, tropical storm warnings were issued for numerous areas, including Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, and Union counties.

HURRICANE DEBBY HEADLINES:

At least four deaths were attributed to the storm, with two in Dixie County and one in Hillsborough County involving vehicle crashes, officials said. In Levy County, a teen died after a tree crashed through the roof of a mobile home.

About 250,000 utility customers had power outages on Monday afternoon, and electricity had been restored to 322,000 customers.

Guthrie said the Division of Emergency Management had started coordinating with counties about their needs and on Tuesday will begin damage assessments with homeowners.

The White House over the weekend announced a federal disaster declaration for the storm, providing assistance mostly to cover county evacuation and sheltering costs. The state was working to expand the declaration to include assistance for debris removal, Guthrie said.

DeSantis said he will be on the road Tuesday to see areas that sustained damage. He noted contrasts with the more-powerful Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Ian in 2022.

"The good thing is that there's not really a place where you would do a big tour of the damage compared to what we saw with Idalia and certainly what we saw with Hurricane Ian," DeSantis said.

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Debby followed a similar path as Idalia, which made landfall nearly a year ago in Taylor County as a Category 3 hurricane. Ian hit Southwest Florida in September 2022 as the fifth-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous U.S.

"There’s still risks. There's a risk from a lot of water. But from a wind perspective, this (Debby) was not at the level of the previous storms that we've seen in this state," DeSantis said. "So, all in all, especially given that these folks had already been hit 11 months ago, we’re glad that we're getting reports that were not seeing a lot of widespread wind damage."

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HURRICANE DEBBY DAMAGE AROUND FLORIDA

Tracking Debby: Previous updates

11 p.m

At 11 p.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Debby was located 60 miles north-northwest of Jacksonville and about 35 miles west of Brunswick, Georgia. Debby is moving northeast at about 7 mph.

The storm is expected to turn east on Tuesday and slow to the north on Wednesday. According to the forecast, the center of Debby will move across southeastern Georgia tonight, off the Georgia coast on Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach the South Carolina coast on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph, with higher gusts. Slight weakening is expected tonight or early Tuesday, but some re-strengthening is possible on Wednesday and Thursday as Debby moves off the southeastern U.S. coast.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center.

A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for the coast of SouthCarolina from South Santee River to Little River Inlet. The Tropical Storm Warning south of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida hasbeen discontinued.

8 p.m.

The center of Tropical Storm Debby was located 50 miles east of Valdosta, Georgia. Debby is moving northeast at about 6 mph. The storm is expected to turn east on Tuesday and then slowly turn north on Wednesday. According to the forecast, the center of Debby will move across southeastern Georgia tonight and Tuesday, offshore of the South Carolina coast by late Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach the South Carolina coast on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to approximately 45 mph, with higher gusts. Slight additional weakening is expected tonight and Tuesday, but some re-strengthening is possible on Wednesday and Thursday as Debby moves off the southeastern U.S. coast.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center.

5 p.m.

Tropical Storm Debby's center was about 30 miles southeast of Valdosta, Georgia. Debby is moving northeast at approximately 6 mph. The storm is expected to turn east on Tuesday, followed by a slow turn to the north on Wednesday. On this projected path, the center of Debby will cross southeastern Georgia tonight and Tuesday, move offshore of the South Carolina coast by late Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach the South Carolina coast on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to about 50 mph, with higher gusts. Further weakening is expected through late Tuesday, but some re-strengthening is possible on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center.

The Storm Surge Warning along the Florida Gulf Coast from the Aucilla River to Aripeka has been discontinued, as has the tropical storm warning for the Florida Gulf Coast from Indian Pass to Aripeka. A Storm Surge Watch has been issued from north of South SanteeRiver, South Carolina, to Cape Fear, North Carolina.

2 p.m.

Tropical Storm Debby is located about 10 miles northwest of Live Oak, Florida, located near the midway point between Jacksonville and Tallahassee. The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as it moves north-northeast at 7 mph.

The following warnings have been discontinued:

Storm surge warning: Aucilla River westward to Ochlockonee River; middle of Longboat Key to Aripeka, including Tampa Bay
Tropical storm warning: South of Aripeka

The National Weather Service has discontinued its tornado watch for the following counties that was originally set to expire at 4 p.m.: Lake, Seminole, Orange, Volusia and Osceola.

A tornado watch remains in effect for the following counties until 4 p.m. on Monday: Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Gilchrist, Marion and Union.

Tropical Storm Debby is expected to move across southeast Georgia on Monday night and Tuesday before moving offshore off the South Carolina coast by late Tuesday and Wednesday. Weakening is expected through late Tuesday, but some re-strengthening is possible on Wednesday.

2 p.m. update | Aug. 5, 2024 | National Hurricane Center

1:01 p.m.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he is hosting a press conference at 3:30 p.m. on Monday alongside Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.

FOX 35 will live-stream the press conference at the top of this page.

11 a.m.

Debby weakened to a tropical storm just a few hours after making landfall in Florida's Big Bend on Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. advisory.

Its maximum sustained winds have decreased to 70 mph and additional weakening is expected.

The storm is forecast to cause major flooding in the southeast US over the next few days.

The storm is currently located about 35 miles west of Lake City, Florida, and about 120 miles south of Valdosta, Georgia.

Several storm surge, hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been discontinued for portions of Florida.

8:56 a.m.

A Tornado Warning has been issued for western Orange County near Walt Disney World Resort until 9:15 a.m.

8 a.m.

Hurricane Debby is just inland in the Florida Big Bend Region about 60 miles north-northwest of Cedar Key.

Its maximum sustained winds have decreased slightly to near 75 mph. Debby is forecast to weaken as it moves over land today and tonight.

The Storm Surge Watch from the middle of Longboat Key to Englewood Florida has been discontinued.

7:30 a.m.

Gov. Ron DeSantis provides an update on the state's response to Hurricane Debby.

7 a.m.

Hurricane Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida, as a Category 1 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Air Force Hurricane Hunters and radar from Tallahassee show that Debby hit land around 7 a.m. EDT with sustained winds of 80 mph.

6:27 a.m.

The following Central Florida counties are under a Tornado Watch until 4 p.m. Monday:

Lake
Seminole
Orange
Volusia
Osceola

6:02 a.m.

A Tornado Warning is in effect for Polk County until 6:30 p.m.

6 a.m.

The NHC reports that Doppler radar images from Tallahassee show Hurricane Debby is approaching landfall in Florida's Big Bend near Horseshoe Beach.

The northern and eastern sections of the eyewall have already reached the shore, with the hurricane expected to make landfall later Monday morning.

Air Force Hurricane Hunters said the storm has a minimum pressure of around 979 mb with sustained winds of 80 mph.

5 a.m.

Hurricane Debby is very close to making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida. The storm is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge in portions of Florida and major flooding in the southeastern US.

The Cat. 1 hurricane is currently located about 45 miles northwest of Cedar Key and about 70 miles south-southeast of Tallahassee.

The storm is moving north-northeastward at approximately 10 mph. The center of the storm will reach the Big Bend coast later Monday morning and will move slowly across northern Florida, into southern Georgia later Monday and Tuesday.

2 a.m.

At 2 a.m. EDT, Hurricane Debby was centered 40 miles west of Cedar Key and 95 east-southeast of Tallahassee (near latitude 29.1 North and longitude 83.8 West). The storm is moving northward at approximately 12 mph. It is expected to slow down and turn northeast and east later today and into Tuesday.

According to the forecast, the center of Debby will reach the Florida Big Bend coast later this morning. The hurricane is anticipated to move slowly across northern Florida and southern Georgia later today and Tuesday, approaching the Georgia coast by Tuesday night.

Hurricane Debby: Latest track, path, and cone

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Hurricane Debby warnings, watches, advisories

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Air Force reconnaissance aircraft report that Debby’s maximum sustained winds are around 80 mph (130 km/h), with higher gusts possible. The storm is likely to strengthen before making landfall on the Florida Big Bend coast this morning, but weakening is expected once Debby moves inland.

Hurricane-force winds extend up to 45 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds reach up to 140 miles from the center.

1:47 a.m.

Wind advisories will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday for Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties. Winds will be 20-25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph.

1:40 p.m.

Orlando International Airport says at least 50 flights have been canceled due to Hurricane Debby while others are delayed. Check flights here.

1:30 a.m.

Join FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Noah Bergren for the latest on Hurricane Debby.

12:53 a.m.

12:21 a.m.

11:41 p.m.

Brevard County is no longer under a Tornado Watch but is still in effect for Volusia, Lake, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties.

11:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne upgraded Lake County to a tropical storm warning. That means tropical storm conditions, such as heavy rain and 55 mph wind gusts, are expected overnight and into Monday morning.

11:19 p.m.

Hurricane Debby is expected to be a major flood event for the southeast U.S., the NHC says.

11 p.m.

Hurricane Debby headed toward Florida's Big Bend

Hurricane Debby formed late Sunday night and is on track to make landfall in Florida's Big Bend region.

As of 11 p.m., Hurricane Debby was located about 65 miles west-southwest of Cedar Key and 100 miles west-northwest of Tampa (near latitude 28.6 North and longitude 84.0 West). The storm is moving north at approximately 12 mph.

A gradual decrease in speed is expected, with Debby turning toward the northeast and east on Monday and Tuesday. The forecast predicts Debby will cross the northeastern Gulf of Mexico tonight and reach the Florida Big Bend coast by Monday morning. It is then anticipated that Debby will move slowly across northern Florida and southern Georgia on Monday and Tuesday, approaching the Georgia coast by Tuesday night.

Reconnaissance data from Air Force and NOAA aircraft show that Debby’s maximum sustained winds have increased to around 75 mph, with stronger gusts. Additional strengthening is likely before Debby makes landfall along the Florida Big Bend coast on Monday. Weakening is expected once the storm moves inland.

Hurricane-force winds extend up to 45 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds reach up to 140 miles.

11 p.m. update

8:47 p.m.

A handful of campers and RVs were flipped over or blown onto their sides at a park in Cocoa, according to Brevard County Fire Rescue. There was one person who was injured, though the extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne said ir was aware of the damage at Sonrise Palm RV Park. It's not clear if the damage was from straight line winds or a tornado.

Campers blown over in Cocoa by Tropical Storm Debby (Credit: Brevard County Fire Rescue)

8:10 p.m. update

Tornado watch for all of Central Florida extended to 6 a.m. Monday.

8 p.m. update

Tropical Storm Debbie is continuing to strengthen as it approaches Florida's Big Bend region. In its 8 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said Debbie was 100 miles west of Tampa and 90 miles southwest of Cedar Key, Florida.

It has sustained winds of 70 mph, which is four mph shy of becoming a hurricane. A Category 1 hurricane has sustained winds of at least 74 mph.

7:56 update

The tornado watch has been issued until 6 a.m. Monday for parts of Florida and Georgia.

7:56 update

The tornado watch has been issued until 6 a.m. Monday for parts of Florida and Georgia.

7:36 p.m. update

A tornado warning has been issued for Brevard County until 8 p.m.

6:30 p.m. update

Florida State University and the University of Florida have closed their campuses as Tropical Storm Debby nears Florida's coast. Florida State University said its Tallahassee campus would be closed on Monday, Aug. 5, Florida State University Schools and The Marine Lab at Turkey Point would also be closed.

The University of Florida has closed its campus and canceled classes for Monday, Aug. 5, which includes all academic and student-related activities. It also include online classes and exams.

5 p.m.

Tropical Storm Debby is 120 miles from Tampa, Florida and 125 miles from Cedar Key, Florida moving at 12 mph with 65 mph maximum sustained wind gusts. Tropical Storm Debby is forecast to move across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico through Saturday night and reach the Big Bend coast around Monday midday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Debby watches, warnings

A Hurricane Warning has been issued for the Florida Gulf coast from Suwannee River to Yankeetown.

The Tropical Storm Watch along the coast of South Carolina from the Savannah River to the South Santee River has been changed to a Tropical Storm Warning.

The Tropical Storm Warning on the east coast of Florida has been extended southward to St. Augustine.

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for:

Florida Coast from the middle of Longboat Key northward to Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay
Georgia and South Carolina coast from the Mouth of the St. Mary's River to South Santee River, South Carolina

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

Florida Coast south of Yankeetown to Boca Grande
Florida Coast from west of Indian Pass to Mexico Beach
St. Augustine to South Santee River, South Carolina

A Hurricane Warning means hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov.