Hurricane Debby edged closer to landfall along Florida's northwestern coastline Monday as forecasters warned of a potentially deadly storm surge in the state and flooding across the southeastern U.S.
As of 5 a.m. ET Monday, the storm had wind speeds of 80 miles per hour and was about 45 miles northwest of Cedar Key, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters has upgraded Debby to a Category 1 hurricane late Sunday night.
Watches and warnings have been issued for hurricane conditions and tropical storm conditions and storm surges, which are expected to range from 2 to 10 feet in Florida’s Big Bend region, which refers to the curvature of the state that stretches from near Tallahassee down to about Tampa.
Rainfall amounts could reach between 6 and 18 inches in pockets of central and northern Florida, up to North Carolina by Friday morning. Tornadoes are also possible in those parts of Florida, as well as southern Georgia on Monday.
Debby is expected to move through Georgia and South Carolina after leaving Florida. Areas in those states could receive at least 10 inches of rain, up to a record 30 inches through Friday morning.
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