More than 150,000 energy customers without power in Florida
Even before Debby makes landfall, it is making its presence felt. Almost 180,000 energy customers were without power in Florida at 6:30 a.m., according to PowerOutage.us.
With strong winds and flooding expected to affect much of the state, as well as Georgia and South Carolina, this number is set to rise.
Catfish in driveway as heavy rain hits St Petersburg, Florida
You don’t see catfish in your driveway every day.
But that’s what Dan Ciarletta, from St. Petersburg, Florida, saw yesterday as heavy rain inundated the city ahead of Hurricane Debby’s expected arrival today.
“Catfish in my driveway as streets turn into rivers!” he wrote in a post on X.
Tropical storm warning extended ahead of Debby’s arrival
A huge area of the coastal southeastern United States is under a warning of extreme, potentially life-threatening weather today.
- The National Hurricane Center said in a 5 a.m. ET update that the area covered by a tropical storm warning had been extended southward to St. Augustine, Florida, from South Santee, South Carolina.
- A hurricane warning in place along Florida’s Big Bend, from Yankeetown to Indian Pass. The warning means “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the NHC said.
- A storm surge watch is in effect from Englewood northward to Longboat Key on the Florida coast.
Big Bend county under nightly curfew as storm draws closer
Law enforcement officials in Taylor County, in Florida’s coastal Big Bend region, have enforced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. ahead of fierce winds and heavy rain expected from Hurricane Debby.
The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said in an update on Facebook last night that between 10 and 15 inches of rain was expected in a short amount of time, leading to flash flooding and a storm surge of up to 10 feet.
Evacuation was not mandatory, he said, but highly encouraged.
“We’re going to set a curfew for the next two nights, from 9pm to 7am so what we want you to do is stay out of the roads, get ready, get hunkered down, get to a shelter, wherever you’re going to be,” Sheriff Wayne Padgett said in a video message.
“Stay off the roads, literally. Don’t leave … If we catch you, I will put you in jail, I promise you that.”
Florida braced for possible tornadoes as Debby looms
Florida could see some tornadoes as a result of the huge weather system brought by Debby today, the National Hurricane Center said.
“Occasional/brief tornadic spin-ups remain likely over the next several hours,” the center said in an update late last night, alongside a map that shows Tampa Bay in the area of greatest risk.
Satellite images show Debbie approach last night
This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 11:11 p.m. ET on last night shows Hurricane Debby approaching Florida.
Tropical Storm Debby set to slam Florida
Reporting from Horseshoe Beach, Florida
In Florida, residents are stacking sandbags and boarding up windows as Tropical Storm Debby is expected to strengthen rapidly before making landfall. Heavy rains have already begun and evacuations have been ordered in some areas. States of emergency are also in effect for Georgia and South Carolina. NBC News’ Marissa Parra reports on the storm.
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