Hurricane Debby downgraded to a tropical storm at around 11:00 a.m. local time, according to the National Weather Center.
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Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained wind speeds up to 80 MPH on the Big Bend stretch of Florida’s Gulf Coast at 7:00 a.m. ET on Monday (August 5), the National Hurricane Center announced.
“Hurricane #Debby Advisory 12A: Debby Just Inland in the Florida Big Bend Region. Expected to Bring Major Flooding Over the Southeastern United States During the Next Few Days,” the agency wrote on its X account.
Parts of Pinellas County along the west central coast of Florida were reported to have gotten up to 11 inches of rain as of 7:35 a.m. local time, the Pinellas County Department of Emergency confirmed.
“Latest on Hurricane Debby for #Pinellas: Some breaks in the rainfall now, but more rain bands expected throughout the day. Up to 11″ of rain has already fall in parts of the county. A Flash Flood Warning remains in effect until 5:00 AM. #Debby #FLwx,” the department wrote in a post shared on its X account Monday morning.
Several roadways in Sarasota were reported to be underwater and closed amid heavy rain bands, the Sarasota Police Department confirmed in an update shared on its Facebook account at 5:00 a.m. local time, prior to the hurricane making landfall.
“Due to the impact of Hurricane Debby, several roadways remain underwater. A flash flood warning is in effect in our area,” the department wrote. “We are deploying additional officers to assist with localized flooding. For your safety, please avoid driving – primarily through flooded roads and do not bypass barricades. They are there to protect you.”
Debby is expected to bring 20-30 inches of rain in various parts of Florida, which includes some regions still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, which struck in August 2023, NBC News reports. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Debby was following a “very, very similar” path to Idalia, but had higher sustained wind speeds.
“Now that hurricane Debby is making landfall, the most important thing to do is protect yourself and protect your family. Don’t go out in this storm. Don’t drive on the roads, particularly when there flooding,” DeSantis said via NBC News. “We have had some traffic mishaps over the last 12 hours and when you have flood situations that is the number one way where we will see fatalities.”
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