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Northeast prepares for threat of heavy rain and flooding from Debby's remnants

Updated  August 9, 2024 3:00pm EDT
Hurricane Debby
FOX TV Digital Team

The Brief

    • Millions of people across the Northeast are bracing for rounds of severe weather and heavy flooding on Friday as Debby travels north on Friday.
    • Mid-Atlantic states and parts of New York and New England could get heavy rainfall that may lead to serious flooding.
    • At least eight people have died from the impacts of Tropical Storm Debby.

Debby was downgraded to a post-tropical storm on Friday morning, but the threats of flooding and severe weather remain serious into the weekend.

Remnants of the storm picked up Friday, moving northeast from the Carolinas, still bringing heavy rainfall, flash flooding and the threat of tornadoes.

FOX Weather reported that storms late Thursday night into Friday morning caused damage in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area.  Annapolis, Maryland, was flooded by almost 3.5 feet of water from Debby's winds.  The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Warning for several areas along the Chesapeake Bay. 

Three-hour radar loop. Warning boxes are color coded as: Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in yellow, Tornado Warnings in red, Tornado Warnings with a confirmed tornado in purple, Flash Flood Warnings in green and Flash Flood Emergencies in pink.(FOX Weat

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In New York, water rescues are being reported in Allegany County, where a Flash Flood Emergency was issued until 5:15 p.m. ET Friday. Citing the National Weather Service, FOX Weather noted that nearly 4.5 inches of rain had fallen, with more rainfall possible.

Tornadoes are also possible Friday from the Delmarva region northward into eastern New York.  FOX Weather reported that a Tornado Watch had been issued until 2 p.m. ET for much of the Interstate 95 corridor, including major cities such as Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

FILE-A street is flooded by Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024, in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images)

FOX Weather reports parts of Pennsylvania and New York state could see an additional 3-5 inches of rain through Sunday as remnants of Debby travel through the region. Higher rainfall totals are expected farther south, while areas to the north will see lower rain levels. 

NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) placed nearly 10 million people from Pennsylvania to Vermont at a Level 3 out of 4 flood risk on Friday. According to FOX Weather, the Level 3 zone includes Scranton, Pennsylvania, Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany in New York and Burlington, Vermont.

This graphic shows the forecast rainfall totals in the Northeast through Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (FOX Weather)

RELATED: Tropical Storm Debby: Person killed in likely tornado in North Carolina

New York City was slammed with heavy rain, flooding, and severe weather on Tuesday, and was placed at a Level 1 flood threat.

With a threat of severe weather on Friday, the NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is placing some areas in the northeast on a Level 1 thunderstorm risk scale, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, New England and Virginia, FOX Weather noted. 

This graphic shows the flash flood threat on Friday, Aug. 8, 2024. (FOX Weather)

At least eight people have died related to Debby. The latest was identified as Hilda Windsor Jones, a 78-year-old woman who was home alone when a tree fell on her home during the storm Thursday night in a neighborhood northeast of Greensboro, North Carolina, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office told the Associated Press. 

The storm made landfall early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. Then, Debby made a second landfall early Thursday in South Carolina as a tropical storm.

The Source

Information for this story was provided by FOX Weather and the Associated Press.  This story was reported from Washington, D.C.