Storm Debby: Storm made landfall as Category 1 hurricane; at least 4 dead in Florida (2024)

More than 158,000 customers without power in Florida and Georgia

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said today it is sending two swift water rescue teams to South Carolina, where Tropical Storm Debby is expected to deliver drenching and dangerous rain.

The rain and other water hazards from the slow-moving storm are considered the top threat for parts of Georgia and the Carolinas.

Police in Sarasota, Florida, where more than a foot of rain fell, said they have rescued hundreds of people and urged residents to be prepared for more rain tomorrow.

Sarasota police said around 500 people had been safely taken from flooded homes to higher, safer ground.

“It’s awful,” Sandra Rees, who lives on Courtland Street, where homes flooded, told NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa. “It is heartbreaking. People carrying their plastic bags with their photos and things in it, it is so sad.”

There were 58 water rescues that resulted in 207 people brought to higher ground in Manatee County, Florida, after Hurricane Debby drenched the region, officials said.

The number were current as of 8 p.m. ET, the county government said.

“We are facing an unprecedented weather event with Hurricane Debby,” Jodie Fiske, Manatee County’s public safety director, said in a statement.

“The safety of our residents is our top priority, and we are doing everything in our power to respond effectively to this crisis. I commend the heroic efforts of our emergency responders and the resilience of our community during this challenging time,” Fiske said.

Manatee County includes the coastal cities of Bradenton and South Bradenton. Bradenton got around 11 inches of rain from Saturday to shortly before 6 p.m. today, the National Weather Service said.

Lakewood Ranch, a community more inland, recorded over 16 inches of rain, the agency said in a list of preliminary rainfall amounts.

President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration request by the governor of South Carolina, which increases the availability of aid.

Biden previously approved a similar declaration from Florida because of the storm. The White House said in a statement that it is monitoring Debby as it makes its way across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

“Personnel from the DOD, HHS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Coast Guard have deployed and are prepared to support,” it said. “The President continues to urge residents to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of State and local officials.”

A 48-year-old boater is missing in Florida as Hurricane Debby continues to churn over parts of the state, Gulfport police said this afternoon.

Police identified Brian J. Clough, who was also with his dog, as the missing boater. They said he had anchored his sailboat about 50 feet from Gulfport’s Veterans Park during the storm.

“Another man from the local boating community saw Mr. Clough’s vessel had partially sunk during the late morning hours of 08/05 and noticed Clough’s dog still aboard the vessel,” the police department said in a statement. “The man also searched some of the vessel for Clough but he was not found.”

Police said they had checked with the local boating community but that Clough had not yet been found. The police department added that when weather conditions improve, additional resources would support the search.

The Florida Highway Patrol posted video of a road being overtaken by water as it announced the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which spans Tampa Bay, was closed today.

The city of Charleston, South Carolina, issued a curfew for the peninsula that begins at 11 p.m.

“We are anticipating between midnight tonight and 10 a.m. tomorrow 10 to 12 inches of rainfall,” William S. Cogswell Jr said. The curfew will be reassessed at 10 a.m., he said.

Some other cities and communities have imposed curfews because of the storm and its effects, including Savannah, Georgia.

"We urge everybody to stay inside, stay indoors and do not travel," Cogswell said. "If you need to get off the peninsula, we urge you to do that now."

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster warned that past events like the tropical storm have taken weeks, or more, to recover from and urged residents to take it seriously.

“It’s not at hurricane wind, but those categories — 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 — those measure only the wind, they do not reflect the water at all,” McMaster said. “But we’ve got a lot of water coming.”

“And we had a lot of water in 2015, as you remember, we had a lot of water in 2017,” McMaster said at a 5 p.m. news conference. “And the results of overcoming all that took weeks, sometimes, or sometimes even longer.”

South Carolina’s entire coast was under storm surge warnings or watches.

A warning extended from the mouth of the St. Mary’s River in Georgia to the South Santee River in South Carolina, including Charleston. There could be a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet, the National Hurricane Center said.

Parts of South Carolina could also get 10 to 20 inches of rain, with local amounts up to 30 inches, through Saturday.

Debby is crawling across the Southeast moving northeast at about 6 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The relatively slow speed — as of 5 p.m. ET — is trouble: The longer a hurricane lingers over an area, the more potential it has to produce extreme rainfall over a confined geography.

Debby’s behavior fits a recent trend. Scientists think tropical storms or hurricanes have become more likely to “stall” out as they strike the coast.

Research published in the journal Science in 2019 found that the speed of an average coastal North American cyclone fell about 17% from 1944 to 2017, from 11.6 mph at the start of the period to 9.6 mph by the end. Storms were also more likely to change directions quickly. Those factors make it more likely that a storm will stall and focus rainfall on one region.

Hurricane Dorian, in 2019, is an extreme example. The powerful hurricane struck Grand Bahama and essentially stopped in its tracks for about 40 hours. Parts of Grand Bahama got 60 inches of rain over several days, according to NASA.

The National Hurricane Center forecasts suggest Debby could dump 30 inches of rain in some parts of the Southeast, which would cause dangerous flooding.

Packages with 70 pounds of cocaine were washed up on a Key West Beach after Hurricane Debby roared through the region, a top official with the U.S. Border Patrol said.

Samuel Briggs II, acting chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol’s Miami Sector, said on X that the drugs, which have been recovered, would have been worth more than $1 million if they were sold on the street.

Bundles of cocaine are sometimes found in the ocean off Florida.

In August, the mayor of Tampa found a 70-pound package floating in the water while she was fishing off the Florida Keys.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office posted video of what it calls "severe flooding" in the coastal areas surrounding Tampa.

“Our deputies are relentlessly assessing the rising waters throughout the area,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said on X. “We urge everyone to avoid these dangerous areas. If you encounter any flooding, please contact HCSO immediately. Our team is here to assist and ensure the safety of you and your families.”

Debby struck Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 1 hurricane, a rating that doesn’t convey its potential danger to the Southeast.

Scientists use the Saffir-Simpson scale to rate hurricanes from 1 to 5. The rating is determined by a hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speed. The scale is designed to predict potential property damage.

The rating doesn’t consider how much storm surge is expected, how much rain could fall or how fast the hurricane travels over the landscape.

Debby’s risks have much less to do with wind than they do with water. The storm carried a dangerous storm surge; it’s expected to spin off thunderstorms and produce off-the-charts precipitation.

Officials have issued a shelter-in-place advisory for Sarasota County, Florida, after Debby made landfall this morning as a Category 1 hurricane.

As of 2 p.m. today, Tropical Storm Debby had winds of 65 mph and was about 10 miles northwest of Live Oak, Florida.

“Heavy rain continues to soak portions of northern Florida, southern Georgia and coastalSouth Carolina this afternoon and flood watches remain in effect for 12 million people in these areas,” NBC News meteorologists said.

The storm is expected to slow and turn east later today and early tomorrow.

The slowdown “will contribute to extreme rainfall and flooding across the Southeast through much of the week,” NBC News meteorologists said. Tropical storm alerts extend from north Florida to southeast Georgia and the South Carolina coast.

The Coast Guard posted video of its aircrews rescuing two boaters from a vessel that went adrift as Debby bore down on Florida.

A friend of the boaters contacted authorities Saturday night after the two failed to check in while sailing from Key West to Tarpon Springs, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The 34-foot vessel lost its sail off Boca Grande and was spotted by the Coast Guard yesterday, the release said. The helicopter rescue happened on 15- to 20-foot seas in about 50-knot winds as Debby whipped up the waters.

“Some of the most important factors in any search and rescue case is accurate information and safety equipment,” Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper said in the release. “We received an updated satellite position from the boaters’ friend, which led to them being successfully located. This rescue was a collaborative effort between District Seven and Sector St. Petersburg while Tropical Storm Debby crossed the region.”

Vice President Kamala Harris’ camp has postponed an event planned for Savannah, Georgia, on Friday because of Tropical Storm Debby, according to two campaign officials.

She was supposed to stop there with her running mate, who has yet to be named, as part of a campaign tour of seven battleground states. That is likely to take place after Debby makes its way through Georgia and South Carolina, where it's forecast to bring heavy rain and severe flooding.

Tropical Storm Debby is expected to move “very slowly” over South Carolina in the coming days, “leading to potentially historic heavy rainfall,” South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division said today.

“We will see some strong winds from this storm, but the biggest concern is flooding,” said Kim Stenson, the agency’s director. “The heavy rains and flooding currently predicted this week are historic in scope and scale.”

“Our experts with the National Hurricane Center believe flooding to be catastrophic for many parts of South Carolina,” Stenson said. “Take no chances with this storm.”

The state said that people and potentially vulnerable areas should review their plans and prepare to take action and that residents in low-lying areas “should consider moving to higher ground for the duration of the storm.”

The agency also urged people to double-check their emergency kits, clean gutters and drains, secure outdoor items and stay informed about the storm.

The mayor of Savannah, Georgia, has set a curfew as Debby draws near and locals brace for "winds, intense rain and flooding."

Mayor Van R. Johnson said the city will have a curfew starting at 10 p.m. tonight through 6 a.m. tomorrow. “If you don’t have to be in these Savannah streets tonight — don’t — for your safety and for the safety of our emergency responders,” he wrote on social media.

City Manager Jay Melder said at a news conference today: “This is a once-in-a-thousand-year potential rainfall event.”

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency, which covers Savannah, warned that the area will get heavy rain with a potential for 10 to 20 inches of rain and severe flash flooding.

The Atlantic basin has been a breeding ground for storms this summer, and Debby comes during a hurricane season that forecasters expect to be “hyperactive.”

This is only the ninth year on record when two hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S. by Aug. 5, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University meteorologist and Atlantic hurricane forecaster.

Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Category 5 storm to develop in the Atlantic. It made landfall in Texas on July 1.

In May, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters issued their highest-ever hurricane forecast for the coming season. Other research groups predicted even more activity.

Reporting from Steinhatchee, Florida

At the Steinhatchee River Inn and Marina today, some residents tried to make the best of the incoming storm by spending time together after the power went out as Hurricane Debby made landfall.

The Steinhatchee, Florida, residents were preparing to keep sandbagging the entrance as the waters nearly reached the top of the nearby dock.

Residents sat around in lawn chairs and had champagne ready, while also trying to eat the ice cream in their freezer before it all melted during the power outage.

“It’s not our first rodeo,” one man said.

The residents said they would keep sandbagging the entrance and sweeping out any water that came in.

One man said that during Hurricane Idalia, the 2023 destructive Category 4 storm, water levels reached up to his chest.

Debby has made landfall in Florida as forecasters warn of historic storm surge and 20 to 30 inches of rain. NBC News’ Jesse Kirsch reports on the latest conditions.

Two people died in a single vehicle crash in Dixie County, Florida, late last night, including a 12-year-old boy, bringing the Debby death toll to at least four.

The Florida Highway Patrol reported that the crash happened at 9:52 p.m. on U.S. 19. Witnesses said it appeared that the vehicle lost control due to “inclement weather and wet roadway” as Debby lashed the state with heavy rain.

The car apparently lost control, struck the guardrail in the center median and ended up overturning and leaving the roadway to the right. The driver, a 38-year-old woman, and a 12-year-old male passenger were pronounced dead on the scene. A 14-year-old boy, who was also a passenger, was transported to UF Health with serious injuries, according to the FHP report. All occupants of the car were from Crawfordville.

The crash is under investigation.

Debby has downgraded to a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center said in an 11 a.m. advisory.

Debby is now about 35 miles west of Lake City, Florida, and continues to move northeast at 8 mph with decreased maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.

A storm surge warning is in effect for the Florida coast from the middle of Longboat Key northward to the Ochlockonee River, and for the Georgia and South Carolina coast from the mouth of St. Mary’s River to South Santee River in South Carolina.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Florida coast from Indian Pass to the middle of Longboat Key, and from St. Augustine, Florida, to South Santee River in South Carolina.

The hurricane center warned: “This is a life-threatening situation” and locals should take necessary actions due to rising water.

A 13-year-old boy died in Levy County, Florida, after a tree fell on a mobile home, the Levy County Sheriff’s Office said today, bringing the hurricane death toll to at least two.

Authorities responded to the home at 8 a.m. and found the boy “crushed inside the home.” No other injuries were reported.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with this family as they deal with this tragedy,” the sheriff’s office said.

Officials urged locals to use “extreme caution” when assessing and cleaning up hurricane damage, warning of downed power lines and trees as some of the dangerous hazards.

Cedar Key Fire Rescue posted photos of submerged roads and debris-strewn lots on the island city, located about 60 miles southwest of Gainesville.

"Let’s continue to pray that the second surge does not do any more damage than this one did," the agency wrote.

Hurricane Debby remains a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds, according to an 8 a.m. National Hurricane Center advisory. It’s located 60 miles northwest of Cedar Key and is moving northeast at 10 mph.

So far, the strongest wind gust from Debby has been clocked at 96 mph at Horseshoe Beach, and the highest storm surge, of 6 feet, has been reported at Cedar Key.

Since yesterday, the Sarasota/Bradenton area has reported just more than 11 inches of rain, marking the wettest day on record for the area. Meanwhile, 9.62 inches was reported in Balm and 8.45 inches in Suwanee. Storm surge in Yankeetown to Aucilla River was also reported at 6 to 10 feet.

Throughout today, Debby will weaken to a tropical storm as it slowly moves across Florida and into Georgia. It will begin raining in Savannah by midday and Charleston by this evening.

Once Debby gets off the Georgia coast tomorrow afternoon, it’s forecast to stall there for at least 24 hours, leading to historic rainfall totals and catastrophic flooding for parts of southeastern Georgia and coastal South Carolina. It’s forecast to then make a second landfall east of Charleston late Thursday or early Friday.

Kevin Peters, the director of emergency management for Leon County, outlines how residents have been preparing for Hurricane Debby and his biggest worry as the storm approaches north Florida.

The driver of an 18-wheeler truck that partially fell into the Tampa Bypass Canal early this morning has been found dead, authorities said.

The driver, described as a 64-year-old man from New Albany, Mississippi, had lost control on the wet roadway around 2:30 a.m., the Florida Highway Patrol said. The semitruck was traveling southbound on I-75 when it rotated, collided with a concrete barrier wall on the outside shoulder and traveled over the wall.

The trailer rested hanging from the bridge while the cab separated and fell into the canal. Divers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office later located the cab 40 feet below the surface with the driver dead inside, saidSgt. Steve Gaskins of the highway patrol, which is investigating the case.

The Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said the truck has been recovered and transported to a Stepps Towing location for inspection.

“At this time, it is unknown if there are additional victims in the sleeper portion of the truck,” the fire rescue said.

The northbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa Bay, which connects Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, were closed today “due to heavy wave action and debris” coming onto the highway, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

All northbound lanes of the bridge were closed at 4:30 a.m. as parts of the shoulder and roadway were washed out by the perilously close water.

Photos showed the roads visible wet, and waves reaching the guardrails and filling holes on the shoulder of the roadway.

“Motorists should seek alternate travel routes as crews work to assess and repair the damage,” FHP said in a release.

The number of power outages in Florida passed the 300,000 mark after 9 a.m today, according to PowerOutage.us.

The hardest-hit counties are Taylor with more than 13,000 customers without power, Jefferson with more than 8,000 outand Suwannee with more than 22,000.

Divers are searching for the driver of an 18-wheeler truck that fell into the Tampa Bypass Canal early today as Florida's Gulf Coast was battered by Hurricane Debby.

The Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to a call at 2:35 a.m. about the semitruck that was traveling southbound on I-75 near mile marker 263 that “lost control and went off the road.”

When first responders arrived, they found the truck mostly over the guardrail with the front cab out of the water. But shortly after, it became submerged. Officials said at the time “the number of patients and their injuries are currently unknown.”

Photos shared by the department showed the entire truck dangling off the highway, with just its rear hanging on the guardrail.

Around 8:30 a.m., the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office said its dive team was helping crews search for the driver of the truck and were aiding in getting the truck out of the water.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a briefing early today that Debby has followed a "very, very similar" path to Hurricane Idalia 11 months ago, but with higher sustained wind speeds.

So far the state has seen "significant storm surge" we have seen inundation, he said, while warning that Debby will likely produce “significant flooding events” from the Sarasota-Bradenton area up to northern Florida.

This storm is expected to move throughout northern central Florida and likely into Georgia and the Carolinas.

"Now that hurricane Debby is making landfall, the most important thing to do isprotect yourself and protect your family. Don’t go out in this storm. Don’t drive on the roads, particularly when there flooding," DeSantis said. "We have had some traffic mishaps over the last 12 hours and when you have flood situations that is the number one way where we will see fatalities."

He said 17,000 linemen are ready to restore power as about 143,000 are without power — less than Hurricanes Idalia and Ian he noted.The Florida National Guard is also ready to deploy for search and rescue and humanitarian assistance.

Reporting from Steinhatchee, Florida

After making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, Debby is expected to bring 20-30 inches of rain to some parts of Florida, including areas still recovering from Hurricane Idalia in late August 2023. NBC News’ Marissa Parra reports why Debby is dubbed “Idalia 2.0.”

Several roadways in Sarasota are underwater and closed as the city has been lashed with heavy rain bands this morning.

Sarasota Police said in a statement that additional officers have been deployed to aid with localized flooding amid a flash flood warning in the area.

Authorities urged locals to avoid driving and warned: “Do not bypass barricades.” Photos shared by police late last night showed streets submerged in water and roads turned into shallow rivers.

Up to 11 inches of rain has already fallen in parts of Pinellas County on the west central coast of Florida as Hurricane Debby reared up the state, the county's Department of Emergency Management said.

And more rain bands are on the way — meaning the county will likely clock over a foot of rainfall. A flash flood warning is in effect through 8 a.m. and a storm surge warning is in effect.

Bridges have been shut down because of water issues and high winds, and locals have been warned to stay home for safety.

Debby has touched down in Steinhatchee, in Florida's Big Bend, the National Hurricane Center said in an update at 7 a.m. ET.

Even before Debby makes landfall, it is making its presence felt. Almost 180,000 energy customers were without power in Florida at 6:30 a.m., according to PowerOutage.us.

With strong winds and flooding expected to affect much of the state, as well as Georgia and South Carolina, this number is set to rise.

You don't see catfish in your driveway every day.

But that's what Dan Ciarletta, from St. Petersburg, Florida, saw yesterday as heavy rain inundated the city ahead of Hurricane Debby's expected arrival today.

"Catfish in my driveway as streets turn into rivers!" he wrote in a post on X.

A huge area of the coastal southeastern United States is under a warning of extreme, potentially life-threatening weather today.

• The National Hurricane Center said in a 5 a.m. ET update that the area covered by a tropical storm warning had been extended southward to St. Augustine, Florida, from South Santee, South Carolina.
• A hurricane warning in place along Florida's Big Bend, from Yankeetown to Indian Pass. The warning means "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," it said.
• A storm surge watch is in effect from Englewood northward to Longboat Key on the Florida coast.

Law enforcement officials in Taylor County, in Florida's coastal Big Bend region, have enforced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. ahead of fierce winds and heavy rain expected from Hurricane Debby.

The Taylor County Sheriff's Office said in an update on Facebook last night that between 10 and 15 inches of rain was expected in a short amount of time, leading to flash flooding and a storm surge of up to 10 feet.

Evacuation was not mandatory, he said, but highly encouraged.

"We’re going to set a curfew for the next two nights, from 9pm to 7am so what we want you to do is stay out of the roads, get ready, get hunkered down, get to a shelter, wherever you’re going to be," Sheriff Wayne Padgett said in a video message.

"Stay off the roads, literally.Don’t leave ... If we catch you, I will put you in jail, I promise you that."

Florida could see some tornadoes as a result of the huge weather system brought by Debby today, the National Hurricane Center said.

"Occasional/brief tornadic spin-ups remain likely over the next several hours," the center said in an update late last night, alongside a map that shows Tampa Bay in the area of greatest risk.

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 11:11 p.m. ET last night shows Hurricane Debby approaching Florida.

Reporting from Horseshoe Beach, Florida

In Florida, residents are stacking sandbags and boarding up windows as Tropical Storm Debby is expected to strengthen rapidly before making landfall. Heavy rains have already begun and evacuations have been ordered in some areas. States of emergency are also in effect for Georgia and South Carolina. NBC News’ Marissa Parra reports on the storm.