Debby and Its Remnants Soak Eastern Seaboard
Although the one-time Hurricane Debby is losing its tropical characteristics, it will still produce a tropical deluge as it moves across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through tonight.
Debby made landfall as a tropical storm in South Carolina Thursday morning and has been steadily moving northward into the Mid-Atlantic.
Debby will have plenty of tricks up its sleeve over the next 24 hours as it slides northward ahead of an approaching cold front. Severe thunderstorms with wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph are possible along with scattered tornadoes from the Mid-Atlantic to western New England.
Tropical systems often produce quick-developing tornadoes, and these can be particularly dangerous when they occur at night with little warning. Be sure to have a method of receiving warnings – a weather radio or your cell phone, for example – at your bedside tonight so that you can seek cover if one of these storms threatens your area.
The other major threat from Debby will be heavy rainfall leading to major flooding. Already, parts of the Carolinas have received as much as 20 to 25 inches of rain from the storm as it slowly moved across the region. Tropical-type downpours will bring 2 to 4 inches of rain, with locally as much as 4 to 6 inches of rain, to locations along and east of the Appalachians from Virginia to Pennsylvania, spreading into upstate New York and New England later today into tonight.
These rainfall totals may fall in just a few hours’ time, leading to significant flash flooding, ponding of roads and causing rivers to overflow their banks. Flood Watches currently stretch from South Carolina to upstate New York as well as across northern New England, with numerous Flash Flood Warnings in place within the Carolinas and southern Mid-Atlantic.
Remember, if you come across water in the road, do not attempt to cross it, especially at night! Water will likely be deeper than it appears and is likely moving much faster than it appears. It takes less than 6 inches of flood water to cause a vehicle to be swept away. Remember, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown!”
WeatherBug, partnered with meteorologists from AEM, have called for an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season. We have predicted 20 to 26 named storms, nine to 13 hurricanes and five to seven major hurricanes.
With the tropical season heating up, it is time to prepare for the season. Start organizing portable phone chargers, a radio, batteries, non-perishable food, water, and blankets into an evacuation kit now. While the weather is fair in your area, take the opportunity to scout out multiple evacuation routes from your area in case your preferred route is traffic-jammed or blocked. Check with WeatherBug throughout the season for the latest on the tropics.