Hurricane Debby in Florida Has Become a Category 1 Storm – Heavy Rains

Heavy rains are also occurring in Panama these days but is most welcome in the Panama Canal area.  Hurricane Debby, the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and the second named hurricane, has become a Category 1 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.  The storm, located about 100 miles west northwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, is expected to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region Monday morning.  Debby began dumping rain on parts of the state earlier Sunday as a tropical storm and is expected to unload potentially historic amounts of rainfall over the southeastern United States. State Governor Ron DeSantis activated the local National Guard to assist in the storm response.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned Sunday that Tropical Storm Debby will leave severe flooding when it makes landfall in northern Florida on Monday, having become a hurricane. Speaking to reporters from a hurricane control center, DeSantis said Debby will become a Category 1 hurricane in the coming hours before making landfall.  He said Debby will have a similar path to Idalia, a powerful Category 4 hurricane that hit northern Mexico in August last year, but warned it could have “more severe effects” due to the expected heavy rains.  “This storm will not have Hurricane Idalia-level winds, but it will leave a lot more water in northern Florida and we expect very significant flooding,” DeSantis said.  The Florida governor, who activated the Florida National Guard to deal with possible emergencies, asked the population to be prepared and to avoid using vehicles in flooded areas.  According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, Debby is located 205 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Tampa.  The storm is moving north at 20 kilometers per hour (13 miles) with maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (65 miles).  According to the agency’s forecasts, Debby will make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, bringing heavy rains to northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.  Debby is the fourth tropical storm to form in the Atlantic basin this season, which began on June 1.  Until now, Alberto, Beryl and Chris had formed, of which the second became a Category 5 hurricane, the maximum on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale.