Debby's wrath leaves at least 5 dead in Florida, Georgia as tropical storm continues to lash Southeast
The Category 1 hurricane made landfall near the community of Steinhatchee around 7 a.m. ET Monday with winds estimated to be around 80 mph, but Debby has since weakened to around a minimal tropical storm.
Historic rain continues to slam South Carolina from Tropical Storm Debby
Historic rain continues to slam South Carolina as Tropical Storm Debby moves it's way up north. With over 3,000 remaining without power, Charleston is on flood watch until Friday morning. FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel is in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, with the latest on Debby.
STEINHATCHEE, Fla. – At least five deaths are being attributed to Hurricane Debby as the now-tropical storm continues to slowly churn off to the northeast after making landfall along Florida’s Big Bend region early Monday morning.
The Category 1 hurricane made landfall near the community of Steinhatchee around 7 a.m. ET with winds estimated to be around 80 mph, but Debby has since weakened to around a minimal tropical storm.
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After the deadly storm made landfall, a combination of torrential rain and flash flooding, damaging winds and a life-threatening storm surge caused power outages to skyrocket, with nearly 300,000 utility customers being knocked offline at the peak, according to PowerOutage.us.
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Children among 5 dead from Debby in Florida, Georgia
A 13-year-old boy was also killed about 8 a.m. Monday after a tree fell on a mobile home in Levy County. (Levy County Sheriffs Office / FOX Weather)
In Florida, at least four people, including two children, were killed as a result of Hurricane Debby, according to officials.
A 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, both from Crawfordville, were killed in a crash just before 9:30 p.m. Sunday after their car lost control and hit a guardrail on U.S. Highway 19.
Witnesses said it appeared as though the vehicle lost control because of the inclement weather and wet roadway.
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Watch: Sarasota residents rescued as floodwaters from Debby rise
FOX 13 Tampa Photojournalist Omar Delgado shared a video showing Sarasota residents and pets being rescued from flooding caused by the torrential rain from Tropical Storm Debby.
In Levy County, officials said a 13-year-old boy was killed early Monday morning after a tree fell onto his home. No other injuries were reported, according to deputies.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with this family as they deal with this tragedy," the sheriff's office said. "We encourage everyone to use extreme caution as they begin to assess and clean up the damage. Downed powerlines and falling trees are among the many hazards. One life is too many. Please be safe."
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating after a semi-truck driver lost control on the wet roadway and crashed into the Tampa Bypass Canal. (Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Florida / FOX Weather)
A fourth death was reported after a tractor-trailer being driven by a 64-year-old New Albany, Mississippi, man lost control on Interstate 75 near the Tampa Bypass Canal and collided with a concrete barrier.
Officials said the trailer came to rest hanging off the side of the bridge while the cab separated and fell into the water below.
Divers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department located the cab submerged about 40 feet below the surface of the water, and the driver was found dead inside.
TRAVEL IMPACTED BY DEBBY AS DEADLY STORM FORCES THOUSANDS OF FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS
In southern Georgia, an additional death was reported on Monday evening by Colquitt County Emergency Management.
Officials said a 19-year-old was killed after a tree fell on his home, north of the Florida-Georgia border.
What’s next for Tropical Storm Debby?
Rainfall amounts. (FOX Weather)
After roaring ashore on Monday, Debby was downgraded to a tropical storm, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.
By midweek, Debby is expected to dump extreme amounts of rain, with some computer forecast models showing 2 feet or more of rain in parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
States of emergency have been declared in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and residents in areas where the full effects of Tropical Storm Debby have not yet arrived should continue to prepare for heavy precipitation, flooding and damaging winds.
GET EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS FROM BRYAN NORCROSS
Hurricane Debby's storm surge rocks Florida's Cedar Key
Hurricane Debby approached Florida's Big Bend area as a Category 1 storm Monday morning. Early footage from Cedar Key illustrates the significant threat of storm surge from this tropical cyclone.
Speaking to FOX Weather on Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said this storm would be much different than Hurricane Idalia, which hit Florida in 2023.
"I think what’s going to make this much different than what we had with Idalia is it is going to move very slowly once it enters Florida," DeSantis said. "It’s going to be southern Georgia, northern Florida – and it is just going to drop an inordinate amount of water on the north-central region."
That thinking came to fruition on Monday after Debby made landfall.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service office in Jacksonville issued a rare Flash Flood Emergency on Monday afternoon after slow-moving Debby continued to dump rain over portions of Columbia, Hamilton and Suwannee counties.
Forecasters at the time said between 10 and 15 inches of rain had fallen, and an additional half-foot or more was expected to fall.
A second Flash Flood Emergency was issued just hours later for communities like Lake City, Watertown and Five Points in Florida until 7:45 p.m. ET.
WHY TROPICAL STORM DEBBY WASN’T RETIRED AFTER IT IMPACTED FLORIDA THE LAST TIME
Forecast cone for Tropical Storm Debby. (FOX Weather)
Debby's core is forecast to head out into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, which could allow it to strengthen again, but computer forecast models show it should remain a tropical storm.
"That does mean that you are tapping into warm water. The Gulf Stream sits right off of the coastline of Georgia and South Carolina, and you have a persistent onshore flow," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "So you have this epic amount of rain that's going to be falling over Georgia and South Carolina. At the same time, you're going to have everything pushing in from the Atlantic, up the river system, so nothing can move out."