Tropical Storm Debby is anticipated to intensify into a hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Monday. The current projected path includes the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina.
After that, the storm's trajectory is less certain, but meteorologists in New Jersey are keeping a close watch on Debby. They expect the storm to potentially interact with another weather system, bringing heavy tropical rain to the state from Tuesday into Wednesday, with further substantial rainfall expected later in the week as Debby moves slowly northward.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Debby are anticipated to reach New Jersey by late this week or early next week, according to forecasts. However, the exact impact remains uncertain.
Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center are keeping a close watch on Debby's trajectory.
On Sunday, Tropical Storm Debby was rapidly gaining strength and was expected to evolve into a hurricane as it traversed the Gulf of Mexico towards the Florida coast.
An update from the National Hurricane Center at 8 a.m. Sunday indicated that Debby was situated approximately 155 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, and around 205 miles south-southwest of Cedar Key, Florida. The storm was advancing north-northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, up from 50 mph earlier in the day.
Strengthening over the southeastern Gulf, Debby was predicted to become a hurricane before making landfall in Florida's Big Bend region, as per the hurricane center's forecast.
In a Sunday morning briefing, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to prepare for the hurricane's arrival, noting, "We are likely to experience a Category 1 hurricane, but it could potentially be stronger. Expect significant rainfall, widespread saturation, flooding events, and power outages."
Wind and thunderstorms were already affecting southern Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas.
Hurricane and tropical storm warnings were issued for parts of northern Florida's coast.
Debby was projected to bring heavy rain and coastal flooding to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast by Sunday night. Predictions suggested the system could make landfall as a hurricane on Monday, crossing northern Florida and moving into the Atlantic Ocean.
Forecasters also warned of potential heavy rains over northern Florida and the Atlantic coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina early next week.
Northeast coast preparing for potential storm impact.
Emergency managers in New England and New York are closely tracking the storm's trajectory, anticipating that its remnants may affect their regions. Recently, states like New York and Vermont have been dealing with significant rainfall and thunderstorms, resulting in flooding and saturated ground.
Check back for updates.
