Good morning. It’s meteorologist Ryan Phillips.
Monday morning brought the second landfalling hurricane of the 2024 season as Debby rolled ashore with 80 mph winds. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 in Steinhatchee, Florida, just miles away from where Hurricane Idalia made landfall in September of 2023.
While it’s significant that this marked just the third time since 1960 that two hurricanes made landfall in the United States by Aug. 5, that won’t be Debby’s legacy.
Instead, the slow-moving system, though much weaker, will end up cranking out rain totals that are sure to cause a substantial flood event from Georgia to North Carolina. My colleague Adam Berg wrote about this Monday afternoon on nbc6.com.
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A storm’s forward speed isn’t critical when it’s drifting around in the open ocean, but the minute it’s near land…the potential impact level increases. Whether that’s rain, wind or storm surge, the more exposure an area has to a storm, the greater the resultant impact. That’s the scenario this week for Debby as it drifts near-aimlessly along the Southeast coast, generating rain totals that could reach up to 15-20” in isolated locations.
That’s why there is every reason to be concerned with this system, even though it lost some of the hype that an approaching hurricane generated.
Shifting south to the Caribbean, a tropical wave is moving westward with a 30% chance for development into the weekend. Its trajectory, development or not, will send it towards the Yucatan peninsula with no impact to South Florida’s forecast.
I’ll also note that, today, Colorado State will move towards their bi-weekly updates through the most active period of the Atlantic hurricane season. Considering the ebbs and flows that can occur throughout any season, CSU will highlight potential development areas and predictions through mid-October.
Hurricane Season
The NBC 6 First Alert Weather team guides you through hurricane season
While South Florida has remained untouched so far this season, we’re still advancing toward the heart of it. What has unfolded in the first nine weeks of the season does not serve as a predictor for what the next nine weeks will deliver.
Your preparation plan and attention to tropical activity is the best roadmap to guide you through the November 30th finish line.
Don’t forget about the NBC6 Hurricane Guide, available here for free.
Share it with your friends or new neighbors who haven’t prepared, or gone through, a Florida hurricane season. If you’re short on supplies or just want to shore up your kit, a bonus tax-free holiday is on the horizon. It starts Aug. 24 and runs through Sept. 6.
