Tropical Storm Debby Gears Up for Florida Landfall

TAMPA – Tropical Storm Debby has popped up in the Gulf of Mexico, and everyone is keeping a close eye on where it’s headed, especially towards Florida’s Big Bend region.

As of Saturday afternoon, Debby was sitting at 23.9 N 83.2 W with winds hitting 35 mph. FOX 13 Meteorologist Nash Rhodes mentioned that the storm looks to strengthen into a category 1 hurricane just before it reaches land.

Following the latest updates, officials have urged residents to get their preparations in order before conditions get rough later this weekend. They are expecting some pretty heavy rain along with strong winds to sweep across many parts of Florida and the southeastern coastal areas.

Valerie Mills from FOX 13 News pointed out that there’s even the possibility of tornadoes making an appearance in the Tampa Bay area. The longer Debby hangs out over the warm Gulf waters, the more likely it’ll ramp up, though it’s still uncertain.

The National Hurricane Center forecasts Debby to reach hurricane strength right before hitting land. There are various watches and warnings currently in effect for multiple areas.

A Hurricane Warning is up for some regions, while other areas have a Hurricane Watch in effect, along with Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches as well. This means that folks can expect tropical storm conditions to arrive in the affected areas within the next 36 hours.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, the weather is already starting to shift, with showers and thunderstorms moving off from the storm’s center. Originally, the path of Debby was farther east, but as it shifted, the predictions leaned towards it spending more time over the warm Gulf waters, which may allow it to strengthen.

Areas near Florida’s west coast can expect heavy downpours, flooding, and tropical-storm-force winds. As things progress, rainfall totals could spike to 5-10 inches, with localized spots possibly receiving up to 15 inches.

This much rain could lead to both urban and river flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center. The areas under warning can expect tropical storm-force winds later on Saturday into the night, moving up Florida’s west coast through Sunday.

There could be a storm surge of 2-5 feet for parts of Florida’s west coast, especially hitting the Big Bend region hard, while places like Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor may see surges up to 4 feet.

A Flood Watch is also in effect for South Florida, including Miami, which will last through Sunday evening.

Looking ahead, there’s still a lot of uncertainty about what will happen with Debby once it makes landfall on Monday. Forecasters say the weak steering currents could potentially cause the storm to slow down over northern Florida.

Some models suggest that it could get pulled northeast along the Southeastern U.S. coastline, but others warn that it could linger along the coast instead, bringing even more heavy rain and a chance for another land-falling tropical storm or hurricane.

Officials have reminded everyone that they need to prepare in case Debby stalls offshore. This could lead to ongoing heavy rain and high winds for days.