'Historic' Debby Makes Landfall in Florida

Hurricane Debby made landfall Monday in northern Florida as a Category 1 storm, per the AP. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Debby, with maximum sustained winds of 80mph, made landfall in Steinhatchee, a tiny community of less than 1,000 residents in the Big Bend area of Florida's Gulf Coast. Forecasters warn heavy rain could spawn catastrophic flooding in Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia. "This is going to be a significant storm," Savannah Mayor Van. R. Johnson said during a press conference. "The word historic cannot be underscored (enough) here."

• Debby was 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.
• Officials also warned of life-threatening storm surge along Florida's Gulf Coast, with 6 to 10 feet of inundation expected Monday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.

• Flooding impacts could last through Friday and are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. North Carolina officials were monitoring the storm's progress. Officials in Savannah said the area could see a month's worth of rain in four days if the system stalls over the region.
• 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.

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