Hurricane Debby makes landfall in Florida

Hurricane Debby is expected to bring possible record-setting rains, major flooding and a life-threatening storm surge to the marshy Big Bend coast in north Florida, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said Monday (Aug. 5).

Debby made landfall Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane. Data from the Air Force Hurricane Hunters indicate that maximum winds are estimated to be around 130 km/h, the HNC says.

Debby is expected to slowly move across the northern part of Florida and stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina.

The Big Bend area is still recovering from Hurricane Idalia in August of last year. It was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the region in more than 125 years.

Flooding impacts could last through Friday and are expected to be severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.

North Carolina officials are also monitoring the storm's progress.

More than 100,000 homes and businesses are without power across Florida as Debby’s winds begin to batter the state, according to PowerOutage.com.

Most of the outages are in north-central Florida, including Levy and Suwannee counties.

Debby is the fourth storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.

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