The scorching summer heat of the past weeks has brought along heavy rain as Florida got hit by the Tropical Storm Debby. The strong winds and high tide issue concern for floods.
Tropical storm Debby is expected to drench Florida with heavy rain these next few days. According to a National Hurricane Center update at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT), the storm’s center was set for 90 miles south-southwest of Florida’s Apalochicola, where it will blow 50 mile per hour winds over the next couple of days, before moving towards the Florida Panhandle.
For the moment forecasters can’t pinpoint for sure Debby’s direction. The National Hurricane Center released the following statement: “Guidance continues to be all over the place, with some models taking Debby west and north of its current position and others moving east or northeast and ultimately into the Atlantic”.
“Little movement is expected during the next couple of days. But this forecast remains uncertain” reads the statement. Debby is expected to drench Florida in some 10 to 15 inches of rain, but some areas of the state are likely to get up to 25 inches of heavy rain.
With winds gusting at over 50 miles per hour and heavy winds, authorities are concerned some areas will get flooded. Weather.com writes: “Locally heavy rain and flooding will impact much of Florida and southeast Georgia into Monday. Portions of northern Florida and southeast Georgia could see 6 to 12 inches of rain”.
Over the weekend, the tropical storm Debby has wrecked havoc in central Florida and the Highlands County. Emergency management officials say that Sunday’s tornadoes took apart four homes and took a woman’s life.
Alabama is under tropical storm warning and authorities say they might have to report a drowned victim. Early Monday authorities continued the search for the person that went missing while swimming off the coast of Orange Beach.
In St. Petersburg Beach, CNN affiliate WFLA said that a tornado came ashore and wrecked homes. Michael Hamm, a local, told WFLA: “It was so windy and rainy, I couldn’t go outside to look. Ten or 15 minutes later, when I did, I noticed the roof was gone over the deck, the picnic tables had blown off”.
