Sunday Debby recap: Newly minted hurricane makes final approach toward Big Bend

Breaking Monday Hurricane Debby updates: 2024 hurricane season's first strike on Florida with Steinhatchee landfall

Hurricane Debby continues to strengthen in the superheated waters of the Gulf of Mexico as she closes in on North Florida with expected winds of 75 to 100 mph, a life-threatening storm surge and untold amounts of rain.

As neighboring counties have ordered evacuation of mobile homes, low-lying and coastal areas, Leon County is opening up six shelters in schools spread around the county.

Debby's landfall Monday morning will be Florida's first strike of 2024 in a hurricane season that forecasters say could become one of the worst on record.

Here is the latest:

Hurricane Debby is born. With the 11 p.m. forecast and an eye now visible on radar, Debby has begun her final ascent into the Big Bend Coast.

She is packing 75 mph sustained winds and forecasters say she may not be done strengthening.

Courts closing Monday

State courts in 22 counties will be closed Monday, according to a social media post from the Florida Supreme Court.

Also closed: the Supreme Court itself, the First District Court of Appeal and the Office of State Courts Administrator, all in Tallahassee.

For the most updated list, visit ow.ly/RhHn50SQNYQ.

Airport will close at midnight; tropical storm force winds may follow an hour later; firefighters ready for water rescues

As the first serious rain band from Tropical Storm Debby pushed through Tallahassee, Mayor John Dailey took to X warning that the storm will continue to strengthen over the Gulf ahead of a Monday landfall and that Tallahassee could see tropical force winds beginning between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Monday.

With sustained winds of 65 mph, Dailey emphasized that the tropical storm force winds extend 140 miles out from the center.

"Tallahassee International Airport will suspend non-emergency operations beginning at midnight and anticipates resuming normal operations at noon Monday," Dailey wrote. " The Fire Department has five units equipped with rescue watercraft available for immediate deployment should water rescues and/or evacuations be necessary."

The first blow of Debby, which caused tall pines to sway back and forth, already has taken a toll on the city's power grid. As of 7 p.m., over 2,500 customers were out of power in different outages scattered around the city, according to the city of Tallahassee's outage map.

Rain, rain gone away? Hardly, but Tallahassee is in line for fewer inches

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has dialed back the rainfall forecast for Tallahassee.

Its Sunday afternoon forecast kept the heaviest rainfall outside the city and projected that 4 to 6 inches of rainfall could soak Tallahassee.

It also narrowed the area that could see between 12 and 16 inches to narrower part of the Big Bend before the storm stalls out over the Southeast and inundating the northern coastline of Georgia and southern coastline of South Carolina with 16 to 20 inches of rain.

At the same time, NOAA noted that communities near the projected landfall near the projected landfall were under a high risk of excessive rainfall and flash flooding. They include Taylor, Dixie, Lafayette, Suwannee, Madison and Hamilton counties.

Final rainfall totals could fluctuate widely based on the storm’s final track.

Recently storm-afflicted communities prepare to face Mother Nature

Mother Nature, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at his afternoon press conference, isn't always fair.

Case in point: Tropical Storm Debby, which is expected to be a hurricane when it makes landfall in Florida's Big Bend Monday morning.

If the storm treks west and the capital city becomes the bullseye, DeSantis said, "You're going to see a lot of debris."

But that would come mere months after a trio of tornadoes tore up Tallahassee: "You have some people who are still trying to get their homes repaired from the tornadoes, so that presents real challenges," he said.

If Debby hit further northeast, though, it would most affect communities that were ravaged by Hurricane Idalia less than a year ago.

"We responded then, got people back on their feet, and we will do that again with this storm," DeSantis said.

The governor also mentioned that he'd talked with Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey earlier in the day to make sure the city didn't see a similar situation to what happened with Hurricane Hermine in 2016, which was before either held their respective offices.

The storm left 100,000 people without power, some for a week or more.

"There were people without power for weeks in Tallahassee, and we don't want to see that again," DeSantis said. "That was a learning experience, I think, for the state and city."

Live again with Gov. DeSantis at the EOC

Gov. Ron DeSantis is back at the podium in the state's emergency operations center to again warn residents about the dangers of Debby.

He is joined by Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton and Adjutant General of the Florida National Guard Major General John Haas.

Power outages start to pile up in Florida

The power struggle begins.

As Tropical Storm Debby swirls toward North Florida, she's already taken a toll on the state's power grid. As of 3:30 p.m. almost 27,000 customers were in the dark, according to our Power Outage Tracker.

The highest number of outages have been reported in Lee, Collier, Pinellas and Citrus counties. As Debby heads toward her final destination in North Florida, she's been lashing communities on the peninsula with her outer bands, which contain blustery winds and heavy rain.

Sandbag sites a popular Sunday destination

With warnings that Debby could bring torrential and historic downpours, it's perhaps not a surprise that sandbag sites are Sunday destination

Here's a look at the sandbag site outside the Northeast Branch Library.

Sandbag sites are open until 7 p.m. tonight. They are located at:

Sandbag SitesSandbags remain available to the public at the following locations in Tallahassee and Leon County.

• Leon County Northeast Branch Library, 5313 Thomasville Road

• Apalachee Regional Park (Solid Waste Management Facility), 7550 Apalachee Parkway

• Fred George Park, 3403 Capital Circle NW

• At the intersection of Oak Ridge Road at Ranchero Road

• Fort Braden Community Park, 15000 Blountstown Highway

• City sandbag sites are at the following locations:

• The Jack McLean Community Center, 700 Paul Russell Road

• Mike Blankenship Skate Park, 2909 Jackson Bluff Road

• Northwood near El Jalisco, 1940 N Monroe St

The latest watches and warnings

• Hurricane Watches have been issued for: Levy and Coastal Franklin counties.

• Hurricane Warnings have been issued for: Coastal Wakulla, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson, Madison, and Lafayette counties.

• Tropical Storm Warnings have been issued for: Lower Florida Keys Including the Dry Tortugas (Coastal Monroe), Mainland Monroe, Coastal Collier, Coastal Lee, Coastal Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando, Citrus, Sumter, Levy, Leon, Inland Wakulla, and Franklin counties.

• Tropical Storm Watches have been issued for: the Middle Florida Keys (Coastal Monroe), Inland Lee, Inland Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Polk, Lake, Liberty, and Gadsden counties.

• Storm Surge Warnings are in effect for: Aripeka northward to Indian Pass (Coastal Hernando, Citrus, Levy, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla, and Franklin counties).

• Storm Surge Watches are in effect for: Bonita Beach northward to Aripeka (Coastal Lee, Charlotte (including Charlotte Harbor), Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough (including Tampa Bay), Pinellas, Pasco.

• A Coastal Flood Watch has been issued for the Florida Keys.

• River Flood Warnings are in effect for several in Big Bend and Suwannee River Valley.

Source: Governor's press office

What parts south are seeing, weather-wise

Sarasota and Manatee counties are feeling the effects of the storm as it passes, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports.

Sarasota and Manatee counties are under a Tropical Storm Warning and can expect tropical storm force winds to arrive Sunday morning, along with 4-8 inches of rain. A storm surge of 2-4 feet in Sarasota County and 3-5 feet in Manatee County is expected, as well as potential flooding.

Also, areas of Collier County are experiencing heavy rain squalls from Debby's outer bands, the Naples Daily News reports.

The surf is rough along the coast. Flooding is possible. Tropical storm force winds extend 140 miles outward from the center of the storm.

The tropical weather stirred up thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes in Collier County around 8 a.m., prompting a Tornado Warning to stay in effect until 11:45 a.m. Sunday. A Tornado Watch remained in effect until 8 p.m.

Flood Warning coming, sandbags available. Garbage pickup in Tallahassee suspended

The city of Tallahassee, in a Sunday afternoon text message, said garbage and recycling pickup is suspended at least for Monday.

"The National Weather Service is expected to place Tallahassee under a Flood Warning this evening in anticipation of heavy rainfall and localized flooding from Tropical Storm Debby," it said.

Also, sandbag locations will remain open until 7 p.m. Sunday.

Tallahassee on the knife's edge of Debby impacts

Tropical Storm Debby will bring dangerous surge and wind over Apalachee Bay tomorrow and track close enough to cause wind impacts in Tallahassee, writes WeatherTiger meteorologist Ryan Truchelut.

Truchelut, who provides forecasts for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, notes on X how subtle deviations in the track can mean the difference between widespread destruction and scattered damage.

"For Tallahassee, Debby wind impacts are dependent on whether there is a westward component to motion today," he writes. "That's the difference between getting TS Debby's core or not."

The 11 a.m. National Hurricane forecast calls for a landfall intensity Monday morning of 90 mph, with Debby's most likely landfall somewhere between Steinhatchee and St. Marks.

Already Debby is packing winds of 65 mph, which is just eight miles shy of hurricane strength and rapid-intensification is likely ahead of landfall.

In their 2 p.m. forecast, the National Hurricane Center wrote that Tallahassee has a 72% chance of seeing at least low-grade, sustained tropical storm force winds of 39 mph from Debby. Those odds drop to 37% for seeing winds of 58 mph and to just 4% for winds of 74 mph or higher.

Truchelut will have a written forecast going live at tallahassee.com tonight by about 6:30 p.m. He'll be back on our Facebook page at about 9:30 p.m. with an interactive forecast where he'll take your questions.

'Catastrophic' rain threat coming into focus for Florida and specifically Georgia

For days, meteorologists have warned that rain may be Debby's biggest threat. The latest forecast estimates coming in from the National Weather Service seem to bear that out.

"Tropical Storm Debby will drop A LOT of rain over the next few days," the National Weather Service wrote on X. "Potentially historic, heavy rainfall is forecast across southeast Georgia and South Carolina through Friday morning. This may mean areas of catastrophic flooding."

In Savannah, forecasters are particularly concerned that the storm will linger over the area after moving through northern Florida.

“We're talking about a really slow-moving event, which is why we're extremely worried about catastrophic rain levels here,” said Ron Morales, a meteorologist at the NWS Charleston office.

Red Cross offers list of what to bring if you go to a shelter

The Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross says it’s working with local emergency response managers and is “prepared to support post storm shelters after Debby has passed,” according to a Sunday email.

Sharon Council Carraway, the executive director and state relations representative, said a “National Incident Command Team in place in Tallahassee as well several hundred volunteers from across the country to support this disaster relief.”

The Red Cross also will help “transition Evacuation Centers/Shelters into Post-Storm Shelters as soon as possible.” Carraway offered a list of what to bring if you are headed to a shelter:

• Water: one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation)

• Food: non-perishable, 3-day supply for evacuation and other special food items

• Bedding/sleeping items

• Prescription and emergency medications for all family members

• Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, cane)

• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)

• Sanitation and personal hygiene products

• Personal care and other comfort items

• Photo ID, cash

• Extra clothing

• Special items for infants, like diapers, baby food, medication

• Family pets: kennel, food and special medication

• Power cords for portable electronics

“It is also important to remember that each county has different emergency plans and policies, so it is best to do your research NOW so you are prepared and informed before any storm,” she said.

In 2012, a different Tropical Storm Debby deluged North Florida

In 2012, a different Debby drenched Florida.

Like the Tropical Storm Debby of today, the storm had a statewide impact.

While the impact of modern day Debby isn't yet clear, the 2012 Debby "destroyed homes and businesses, washed away roads and flooded neighborhoods in Florida before the once-large tropical storm drifted out to sea, leaving behind a sopping mess," according to the Associated Press at the time.

The storm decimated turtle nests in Franklin County and dumped 28 inches of rain on Wakulla County, flooding homes and spawning a mosquito scourge.

Read the full story here.

Shelters open in Gadsden County

The following two emergency shelters will be opening in the Quincy area at 4 p.m.

• Gadsden County High School (East), 27001 Blue Star Highway, Havana, FL 32333

• West Gadsden Middle, 200 Providence Rd, Quincy, FL 32351

Gadsden High School Shelter will also serve as a special needs shelter and pet shelter, according to a press release from Gadsden County officials. Pet owners must bring a crate, medication, food, a leash, necessary supplies and a copy of their pet’s current vaccination records.

Transportation can be provided by Big Bend Transits to Gadsden County residents from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m

A state on tornado watch

Leon County is under a tornado watch until 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Much of the rest of Florida is, too, including Dixie, Jefferson, Lafeyette, Madison, Taylor and Wakulla counties.

The storm has already spawned tornado warnings in Hardee, Polk, Desoto, Collier, Manatee and Hillsborough counties.

What has DeSantis done this morning?

Gov. Ron DeSantis has had a busy Sunday morning, according to a schedule released by his office shortly after 10 a.m.

He started it off at 6:45 a.m. meeting with Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie and Anastasios Kamoutsas, his deputy chief of staff. There were a dozen back-to-back scheduled meetings listed after that. That includes a press conference and calls with electricity officials.

Those he spoke with include Duke Energy State President Melissa Seixas, Florida Power And Light President & CEO Armando Pimentel, Florida Electric Cooperatives Association Executive Vice President Mike Bjorklund, Tampa Electric President & CEO Archie Collins and Florida Municipal Electric Association Executive Director Amy Zubaly.

Biden approves Florida emergency declaration

President Joe Biden has approved a Florida emergency declaration for Tropical Storm Debby, approving "federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care, including evacuation and shelter support."

"The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures," reads a White House press release.

Government buildings closed

State office buildings will be closed in Tallahassee Monday due to the incoming storm, the Department of Management Services announced.

Closures will occur in the following counties: Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Leon, Madison, and Wakulla.

Madison County opens shelter, declares voluntary evacuation order

Expecting as much as a foot of rain, Madison County officials warn that roads could be inundated and impassible after Hurricane Debby makes landfall and downs power lines and trees.

The county has issued a voluntary evacuation order for mobile homes, sub-standard housing and any low lying areas prone to flooding.

"Voluntary evacuation is a recommendation issued out of safety concerns for the residents," the county emergency management agency wrote on Facebook.

The county will be opening a risk shelter at Madison County Central School on Sunday at 3 p.m.

"The special needs shelter will also be opening at that time and is for those that have specialized medical needs. Please note that you should bring all necessary supplies to includes cots, air mattresses, comfort items etc."

City and county leaders hold press conference to warn residents about Debby

Moments after Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that Debby could be a particular threat to Tallahassee and its trees, its city and county leaders turn to take the podium.

City and county leaders gathered at the Leon County Emergency Operations Center "to update the community on Tropical Storm Debby's forecasted track, ongoing preparedness efforts, local government and nonprofit coordination, and how citizens can prepare their families and homes."

"Our recent hurricane history has been a wind focused event," Emergency Management Director Kevin Peters said, warning residents should recognize that some areas of the Tallahassee area could see up to a foot of rain.

DeSantis warns of 'catastrophic rain,' harder hit for Tallahassee than Idalia

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials early Sunday warned of "catastrophic rain" likely deluging a wide swath of north Florida as Tropical Storm Debby barreled toward land, and certain widespread power outages.

DeSantis, who spoke from the state's Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, said the storm is expected to arrive as a Category 1 hurricane by landfall. He said while it has a similar track to Hurricane Idalia, he told capital city residents not to assume they would only get a glancing blow.

"It's possible that you could have serious intensification between now and landfall. It could get up to 85, 90, 95 mile an hour sustained winds. That is absolutely possible, particularly in parts of the state like here in Tallahassee, (and) there's going to be a lot of trees that are going to fall down."

Wakulla County issues voluntary evacuation order, opens shelter amid warning that it may be in direct path of Debby

A voluntary evacuation is under way for Zone A and low lying areas in Wakulla County, St. Marks and Panacea.

"The projected path has continued its westward trajectory increasing the likelihood that Wakulla County will be in the direct path of the storm," the emergency management agency posted on Facebook. "Rain is a major concern for our area as our ground is already saturated and our projected rainfall totals have gone up with every shift west of the projected path."

Crawfordville Elementary will be open as a shelter location beginning today at 4 p.m.

If you have special needs and area considering evacuation but require assistance, contact WCSO Emergency Management at 850-745-7100 to get assistance.

In latest forecast, Debby's winds increase to 60 mph

Tropical Storm Debby is now just 14 mph shy of being designated a hurricane.

In the 8 a.m. National Hurricane Center advisory, sustained winds are now listed at 60 mph. To become a hurricane, sustained winds must reach 74 mph.

Need to escape Franklin County ahead of Debby?

Franklin County Emergency Management is looking at providing transportation to shelters for residents unable to heed mandatory evacuation orders. Much of the county is under a Hurricane Warning.

A mandatory evacuation was issued at 6 a.m. this morning for barrier islands (including St. George Island, Dog Island, and Alligator Point) low-lying and flood-prone areas, especially along the coast and rivers, and RV parks.

"If you require transportation to evacuate, we can transport you to a shelter in a neighboring county," the agency wrote on Facebook. You will be responsible for bringing everything you will need for 3-5 days, please keep in mind a shelter is a place of last resort. If you need transportation to a shelter, call our SPN Coordinator at 850-653-7977 by 10:00 AM on 8/4/24."

Like other exposed coastal communities, the county doesn't have a shelter that is safe for residents.

For a list of shelters, click here.

DeSantis briefing reporters on Tropical Storm Debby, Florida preparations

Gov. Ron DeSantis is opening the day with a press briefing on Tropical Storm Debby, which may be eyeing the capital city for a direct hit.

He will be joined by Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, Adjutant General of the Florida National Guard Major General John Haas at the state emergency operations center at 7:30 a.m. about 30 hours ahead of what is expected to be a Big Bend hurricane landfall.

During the briefing, DeSantis noted the storm is on a similar track to Category 3 Hurricane Idalia that pounded the Big Bend last year.

"It may very well have more impacts in the Tallahassee area than Idalia did," DeSantis said, added that Debby is currently tracking a little more to the west than Idalia.

But DeSantis said even beyond the cone, the state is bracing for widespread flooding and power outages.

Already the governor has declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida's 67 counties and has activated the Florida National Guard.

Residents should 'rush preparations,' forecasters say, as tropical storm winds could arrive tonight

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee is urging residents to "rush preparations to completion this morning," as conditions will begin to deteriorate by tonight.

The National Hurricane Center estimates that much of the Big Bend and northeast Florida could see tropical storm force winds of at least 39 mph by about 8 p.m. tonight.

Tropical Storm Warnings have been extended to South Georgia counties. Tallahassee remains under such a warning, though it is one county away from a Hurricane Warning.

The capital city is also under a Flood Watch, along with much of northeast Florida and south Georgia.

"Rainfall amounts show a widespread 6-12 inches with isolated amounts up to 18 inches in the eastern FL Big Bend and south-central Georgia," the NWS wrote on X.

Tropical Storm Debby expected to be a hurricane tonight, now packing winds of 51 mph

National Hurricane Center Forecasters warned Sunday morning that Tropical Storm Debby will undergo "significant strengthening" and will likely reach hurricane level by tonight.

Currently Debby's outer bands are lashing the Lower Florida Key and southwest Florida with rain and tropical storm force gusts. An NHC forecaster in their 6 a.m. discussion said Debby is now packing sustained winds of 51 mph, up from about 5 mph since the 11 p.m.

With Debby slowing down and moving over the "very warm waters" of the eastern Gulf of Mexico in a low sheer environment, the storm "will have an opportunity to strengthen rapidly before reaching the coast."

"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," forecaster say.

After landfall, steering currents collapse and the system is expected to slow even further as turns northeastward across northern Florida and Southeast Georgia. As Debby meanders in the Southeast, forecasters worry about a "potentially significant flooding event" that could dump as much as 20 - 30 inches of rain on Savannah and coastal Georgia and South Carolina.

Breaking down the impacts of a likely Hurricane Debby landfall

Hurricane Debby could arrive on the Big Bend Coast by about noon Monday with winds as high as 110 mph. Such winds could cause considerable roof damage and snap large trees. Inland areas like Tallahassee could see between 58 and 73 mph winds, which would lead to downed trees and scattered power outages, especially in the arboreal capital city.

The storm will also be pushing what forecasters say could be "life-threatening storm surge inundation" into the north Florida coast. Apalachicola, Eastpoint, Carrabelle and Alligator Point could see a storm surge of more than 3 feet while areas like Keaton Beach and Steinhatchee in coastal Taylor County could see more than 9 feet of water.

There is a small potential for a few tornadoes, but rainfall may be one of the biggest threats.

Much of the Big Bend and North Florida from Tallahassee to Gainesville to Jacksonville could see "major flooding rain." While coastal communities like St. Marks and Panacea in Wakulla County could see 6 to 10 inches of rain, those in the projected strike zone like Taylor County could see 10 to 15 inches. Tallahassee is expected to get 4 to 8 inches.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Hurricane Debby recap: Rain, wind, surge impacts for Florida