Tropical Storm Debby Gains Strength Offshore Ahead Of Forecast South Carolina Landfall

Tropical Storm Debby is taking a breather over the western Atlantic but isn't done dousing the coastal Carolinas before slowly marching north, the National Hurricane Center says. It still poses a "major flood threat" for parts of the Carolinas.

Debby was still drifting slowly offshore from coastal South Carolina early Wednesday afternoon, lingering in a spot 55 miles east-southeast of Charleston and 90 miles south of Myrtle Beach. A second landfall in South Carolina was forecast to happen by Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

"A faster motion toward the north and north-northeast across the Carolinas and the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region is expected on Thursday and Friday," the hurricane center said in an advisory.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph late Wednesday morning — a jump from the 45 mph winds reported by the hurricane center three hours earlier — but the intensity plateaued as Debby slowed down even more during the early part of the afternoon. It was inching northeastward at 3 miles per hour at 2 p.m. EDT, a drop from 5 mph reported earlier, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters noted that Debby could strengthen again before it reaches the South Carolina coast. That strengthening was expected to be moderate despite the warm coastal waters that would normally fuel it offshore, because Debby was fairly disorganized, they said. 

The storm was expected to weaken on Thursday after moving inland.

Debby could move up the middle of North Carolina, through Virginia and into the Washington area by Saturday, the hurricane center said. As it speeds up on its northeastward path later in the week, forecasters said Debby will likely merge with a frontal zone farther up the coast — that essentially means it will cross an atmospheric boundary into a different air mass — and become an extratropical cyclone as it showers places as far as upstate New York and Vermont with rain. 

Tropical cyclone is an umbrella term that encompasses tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes, which differ based on their strength. An extratropical cyclone can be as weak as a tropical depression or as strong as a tropical storm, but unlike tropical cyclones, they are cold at the core and therefore can't quickly grow into a hurricane.

"Tropical cyclones always produce heavy rain, but normally as they're moving, you know, it doesn't accumulate that much in one place," said Richard Pasch, of the hurricane center. "But when they move very slowly, that's the worst situation."

There will be lulls in the rain as dry spells appear between bands around the center of the poorly organized storm, forecasters said. But some bands will be heavy and keep moving over the same places.

As Debby swirls just offshore, the heavy rain is expected to move into parts of South and North Carolina that have already seen two billion-dollar floods in eight years. 

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference Wednesday that 350 National Guard members had been activated and 17 water rescue teams were mobilized as the state prepares for Debby's arrival. Echoing forecasters' warnings, Cooper noted that the storm and its impacts were expected to come slowly and gradually, likely causing severe flash flooding with the potential for storm surge and tornadoes. 

Most of eastern North Carolina was under either a storm watch or warning, and some voluntary evacuations were underway, the governor said. Central parts of North Carolina were bracing for up to 10 inches of rainfall, while southeastern areas were preparing for as much as 15.

The Miami-based hurricane center said Debby "is expected to produce an additional 3 to 9 inches of rainfall with locally higher amounts, leading to maximum storm total amounts as high as 25 inches in South Carolina and 15 inches in southeast North Carolina, broadening the area of considerable flooding across portions of South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Friday.

"From the Piedmont of South Carolina northward across portions of Virginia, 3 to 7 inches with local amounts to 10 inches are expected through Friday," forecasters said. "This rainfall will likely result in areas of considerable flash and urban flooding, with river flooding possible."

Up to 6 inches of rain are expected from Maryland through Upstate New York and Vermont through Saturday morning, which could lead to flash, urban and river flooding.

The slow moving storm drenched coastal cities in Georgia and South Carolina late Monday into Tuesday, stirring up tornadoes and submerging streets with waist-high floodwaters. 

Several areas along North Carolina's coastline are prone to flooding, such as Wilmington and the Outer Banks. Virginia could see impacts including strong winds, heavy rains and flooding.   

Rain totals in some areas of the Carolinas could come close to what the region saw in a historic flood from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Two years later, many of those records were broken during Hurricane Florence. Both storms killed dozens. 

Rain from Debby is being blamed for the deaths of at least five people — four in Florida — including two children — and one in Georgia.

Some 25,000 customers were still in the dark in Florida on Wednesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

Charleston and Savannah were deluged into Tuesday, with curfews set and roads blocked by police. Dozens of roads were closed in the city of Charleston because of flooding similar to what it sees several times a year because of rising sea levels.

In one Savannah neighborhood, firefighters used boats to evacuate some residents and waded through floodwaters to deliver bottled water and other supplies to those who refused to leave.

Michael Jones said water gushed into his home Monday evening, overturning the refrigerator and causing furniture to float. Outside, the water seemed to be everywhere and was too deep to flee safely. So Jones spent a sleepless night on his kitchen table before firefighters going door to door came in a boat Tuesday morning.

"It was hell all night," Jones said.

In Charleston, Mayor William Cogswell said the road closures have kept businesses and homes from unnecessary damage and avoided the need for any high-water rescues.

"We especially don't need any yahoos driving through the water and causing damage to properties," Cogswell said.

North Carolina and Virginia have both declared states of emergency.

"The effects of Debby are far-reaching, and our neighboring states are facing significant challenges," Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said.

Green Pond in rural Colleton County, South Carolina, reported the most rain so far, just over 14 inches. A nearby dam had water run over its top but didn't crumble, while trees and washouts blocked a number of roads, county Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief David Greene said.

Close to a foot fell down-coast from Charleston to Savannah, where the National Weather Service reported 6.68 inches on Monday alone. That's already a month's worth in a single day: In all of August 2023, the city got 5.56 inches.

Tornadoes knocked down trees and damaged a few homes on Kiawah Island and Edisto Island.

Crooked Hammock Brewery in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, decided to close early Tuesday.

"Flash flooding is super unpredictable, and we'd rather our staff and guests be home and safe," marketing coordinator Georgena Dimitriadis said.

Far to the north in New York City, heavy storms that meteorologists said were being enhanced by Debby flooded some streets and expressways, stranding motorists. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch until noon Wednesday for the entire city.

Emergency officials warned of potential flash flooding, flying drones with loudspeakers in some New York City neighborhoods to tell people in basement apartments to be ready to flee at a moment's notice.

About 500 people were rescued Monday from flooded homes in Sarasota, Florida, police said. Just north of Sarasota, Manatee County officials said more than 200 people were rescued.

Officials said it may take two weeks to fully assess the damage in parts of north-central Florida as they wait for rivers to crest.

"You're going to see the tributaries rise. That's just inevitable. How much? We'll see," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. "It may be that it's not flooded today and it could be flooded tomorrow."

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also warned of more rain and flooding to come, saying, "Do not let this storm lull you to sleep."

President Biden approved emergency declarations, making federal disaster assistance available to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday along the Gulf Coast of Florida before weakening into a tropical storm.