Hurricane Debby makes landfall in Florida with Category 1 magnitude

CNN reports:

Hurricane Debby made landfall in Florida near Steinhatchee with winds of 80 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center at 7 a.m. EDT.

The landfall is less than 20 miles from landfall of Hurricane Idalia, which also made landfall in Big Bend, Florida in August 2023 as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 125 mph.

The storm is expected to move slowly toward and along the Southeast coast over the next few days, bringing potentially historic and life-threatening rainfall to parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

USA Today reports:

Nearly 2,000 flights were canceled and nearly 6,300 were delayed, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. American Airlines and JetBlue had the most cancellations among major carriers, both eliminating 17% of their flights. Passengers are eligible for refunds if their flights are canceled, according to Department of Transportation rules.

The Associated Press reports:

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee said Monday morning that heavy flooding was the biggest concern in the Big Bend areas, with storm surge expected in Apalachee Bay.

Debby is expected to move eastward over northern Florida, then stall over coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina, lashing the region with potentially record-breaking rainfall totals of up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) starting Tuesday.

Officials also warned of a potentially life-threatening storm surge along Florida’s Gulf Coast, with 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters) of flooding expected Monday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.

Meteorologists had warned of a potential rapid intensification shortly before landfall, but fortunately this did not happen.

IN THE EYE…we are at the center of the hurricane #Debby at Steinhatchee, FL on the Big Bend. Landfall is happening right now. We are still picking up a few gusts in the center.

There was over 8 inches of rain in our area, with a storm surge approaching 6 feet! @CNN pic.twitter.com/C6ihTuoaHo

– Élisa Raffa (@Elisa_Raffa) August 5, 2024

Hurricane Debby, a Category 1 storm packing winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), has made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. Follow live updates. https://t.co/Z5U7nNj6xq

— CNN International (@cnni) August 5, 2024

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