Tropical Storm Debby Forecast: Coastal Carolinas Brace for More Rains

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Coastal Georgia and Carolinas are facing a severe weather onslaught as Tropical Storm Debby swirls overhead, casting its wide bands of rain and swelling inland waterways. The storm is predicted to restrengthen slightly and turn north toward the South Carolina coastline before making a second landfall either late Wednesday or in the early hours of Thursday, as per weather officials.

Severe Impacts

Debby, moving at a sluggish pace of just 4 mph on Wednesday morning, has already drenched coastal cities in Georgia and South Carolina, bringing more than a foot of rain in some places. The intimidating whirlwind has stirred tornadoes and even submerged streets in waist-high floodwaters. Despite this, its core remains surrounded by drier air and its worst rainfall is moving hundreds of miles to the north, into eastern North Carolina, and is spreading into southeast Virginia. These areas have declared a state of emergency.

Forecasters warn that in the coming weekend, as much as 5 inches of rain could fall, extending from South Carolina to Vermont. Southeastern North Carolina, a region that suffered a historic billion-dollar flood caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and saw many of those records broken during Hurricane Florence two years later, shows the most concern on Wednesday.

Local Response

Charleston and Savannah, Georgia have been heavily deluged by the storm on Monday and Tuesday, resulting in Charleston enforcing a 32-hour curfew in its downtown peninsula which was lifted on Wednesday. Several road closures due to flooding, similar to what the city has experienced multiple times a year due to rising sea levels, were enacted. This prevented any need for water rescues and stopped potential property damage.

In Savannah, firefighters had to use boats to carry out evacuation operations for some residents and waded through floodwaters to deliver necessary supplies like bottled water to those who refused to leave their homes. Debby’s center was reported to be approximately 90 miles east of Savannah on Wednesday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.

Further Effects

In flooding-delerium New York City, heavy storms were enhanced by Debby, resulting in the flooding of some streets and expressways that left motorists stranded. The weather service issued a flood watch until noon Wednesday for the entire city, warning of potential flash flooding. Emergency officials went a step further and deployed drones with loudspeakers in some New York City neighborhoods to alert residents in basement apartments to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

Severe thunderstorms soaked most parts of New Jersey on Tuesday night, causing moderate flooding in many areas and leaving thousands without power. The majority of the recorded rainfall measures were over two inches, with as much as six inches recorded in some southern Jersey communities. These storms have been labeled as influenced by the moisture drifting up from Tropical Storm Debby. So far, no injuries have been reported.

Tropical Storm Debby is finally forecast to increase its speed on Thursday before weakening inland as the troublesome weather moves north over North Carolina and Virginia into the Washington area by Saturday. Despite the storm’s expected weakening, communities which fall under its projected path are bracing for possible trouble.