Tropical Storm Debby is expected to strengthen throughout the day Sunday before attaining Category 1 hurricane status by this evening.
National Hurricane Center forecasters say Debby remains on track to strike Florida's Big Bend area tomorrow, with landfall expected early Monday afternoon. Right now, Debby is moving north-northwest, but forecasting expect the storm to make a turn toward the north later on Sunday before slowly tracking northeastwardly tomorrow and Tuesday.
Forecasters say the conditions in the Gulf of Mexico will help Debby continue to gain strength until it makes landfall.
"While Debby moves across the very warm waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico and remains in a relatively low wind shear environment, the storm will have an opportunity to strengthen rapidly before reaching the coast," NHC forecasters said in their most recent forecast discussion. "The reliable intensity models all suggest significant strengthening, and the degree of intensification will be most related to how quickly Debby develops an inner core. The NHC intensity forecast remains near the high end of the intensity guidance through landfall, and shows Debby becoming a hurricane by tonight prior to landfall."
As of the Sunday 7 a.m. CDT advisory, Debby has maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour with a minimum central pressure of 1001 millibars. A hurricane warning is posted from the Suwannee River to the Ochlockonee River. The rest of the Florida's west coast is under a tropical storm warning, as are the Florida Keys and the area west of the Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass.
While forecasters are unsure of Debby's exact path after landfall, they say they expect Debby to flood parts of the southeastern United States.
"Heavy rainfall will likely result in considerable flash and urban flooding across portions of northern Florida through Friday morning," forecasters said in their discussion. "Potentially historic heavy rainfall across southeast Georgia and South Carolina through Friday morning will likely result in areas of severe and widespread flash and urban flooding. Significant river flooding is also expected."
