Hurricane Debby makes Florida landfall Monday

Hurricane Debby reached the Big Bend coast of Florida early Monday morning bringing potential record-setting rains, catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge as it moves slowly across the northern part of the state before stalling over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina.

As of 7:00 AM on Monday, Hurricane Debby was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

Hurricane Debby made landfall Monday morning around 7:00 AM EDT in the Big Bend area of Florida near Steinhatchee, approximately 160 miles north of Tampa.

Hurricane Debby is 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 beginning Tuesday.

Flooding could last through Friday and is expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. 

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.