Hurricane Debby makes landfall in Florida as Category 1 storm

TAMPA, Florida (AP) — Hurricane Debby reached the Big Bend coast of Florida early Monday, bringing with it the potential for catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge as it slowly passes over the northern part of the state.

Forecasters warned that, in the coming days, record-setting rain could pummel coastal Georgia and South Carolina as the storm heads east.

The storm made landfall as a Category 1 storm near Steinhatchee, a tiny community in northern Florida of less than 1,000 residents on Florida's Gulf Coast. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 10 mph (17 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The storm made landfall in one of the least populated areas of Florida, but forecasters warned heavy rain could spawn catastrophic flooding in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.

Storm surge was expected to be the biggest threat for Florida, with 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 metres) of inundation above ground level predicted in part of the zone near the Big Bend, according to John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center.

"That part of the coast is a very vulnerable spot," he said Monday.

Some areas, including Sarasota and Manatee counties, have already received 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimetres) of rain.

"We expect to have several rivers and streams go into major flood stage," said Kevin Guthrie, the state's director of emergency management.

Nearly 214,000 customers were without power in Florida on Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.com. In Marion County, which is inland and south of Gainesville, sheriff's officials noted in a Facebook post Monday that crews were responding to reports of downed power lines and trees that have fallen on roadways and homes.

Governor Ron DeSantis said some 17,000 linemen are working to restore electricity. He warned residents in affected areas to sit tight until conditions are safe.

"When the water rises, when you have streets that can be flooded, that's hazardous," DeSantis said. "Don't try to drive through this. We don't want to see traffic fatalities adding up. Don't tempt fate, don't try to go through these flooded streets."

Hurricane Debby has followed a track "very similar to Idalia 11 months ago," DeSantis said. Idalia came ashore near Keaton Beach, Florida on Aug. 30, 2023, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.

Keaton Beach is about 20 miles north of Steinhatchee. He noted there were fewer power outages with Debby.

Images posted on social media by Cedar Key Fire Rescue early Monday showed floodwaters rising along the streets of the city, located south of where the storm made landfall. Water was "coming in at a pretty heavy pace," the post said.

Debby was expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, thrashing the region with potential record-setting rains totaling up to 30 inches (76 centimetres) beginning Tuesday through Saturday morning. Flooding is expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.

Officials in Savannah said the area could see a month's worth of rain in four days if the system stalls over the region.

Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June. In the Eastern Pacific, tropical storms Carlotta, Daniel and Emilia all churned over the ocean, but they weren't threatening land.

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