Tropical storm Debby nears 2nd US landfall in South Carolina and threatens devastating flooding as it presses northward
As of 11 p.m. ET Wednesday, Debby’s center was 25 miles east-northeast of Charleston and inching forward at just 3 mph, a typical walking speed for many people, the National Hurricane Center said.
Since crashing into Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, Debby has dumped more than a foot of rain over parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The deluges have engorged rivers, flooded roadways and trapped people in cars, homes and boats.
But even more chaos is on the horizon as the storm heads toward the Northeast. Here’s the latest:
• Debby’s current path: After landfall, the storm will finally begin to pick up speed. It is on track to move into North Carolina by Thursday evening and into northern Virginia by Friday morning. Debby is then forecasted to accelerate through Pennsylvania by Friday evening and through New England by Saturday morning, bringing heavy rains and flash flooding to a region drenched by storms earlier this week.
• “Be prepared for a deluge,” North Carolina governor says: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents on Wednesday to brace for major rains and flooding. “All North Carolinians across our state need to be prepared for a deluge,” Cooper said, describing the incoming threat as “more rain than most of us see in a month, or even several months.” A tornado watch has been issued for eastern North Carolina until 8 a.m. Thursday. Rainfall totals across the state could reach as high as 15 inches and South Carolina could see totals approaching 25 inches. Dangerous rip currents and storm surges of up to 3 feet are possible along the Carolinas’ coasts.
• Disaster declarations across the Southeast: President Joe Biden has approved disaster declarations for Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas – all of which have been pummeled by Debby this week. More than 700 Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel have been deployed to the Southeast, and search and rescue teams are on standby to assist as needed, the agency said Wednesday.
• Georgia dam at risk of “imminent failure”: A dam in Bulloch County, Georgia – about 50 miles northwest of Savannah – is in danger of “imminent failure” as a result of Debby’s torrential rainfall, the National Weather Service in Charleston, South Carolina, said. Parts of the county have already suffered serious flooding, requiring water rescues in a mobile home park. But if the dam breaks, communities immediately downstream are at the greatest risk for more flooding and may be asked to evacuate.
• Triple-digit heat in store for Southeast: Potentially dangerous heat has been hovering over the Southeast in Debby’s wake and is expected to persist Thursday and through the weekend as storm recovery continues. While high temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s are expected, the heat indices – how the body feels under combined heat and humidity – could exceed 110 degrees. The heat index in Steinhatchee, Florida, near where Debby made its first landfall, could hit 113 degrees on Thursday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Andy Rose, Mary Gilbert and Kara Mihm contributed to this report.
The weather forecast predicts Debby to move into North Carolina by Thursday evening and further into northern Virginia by Friday morning, bringing heavy rains and flash flooding to the region. The National Weather Service in Charleston has issued a warning about a dam in Bulloch County, Georgia, being in danger of "imminent failure" due to Debby's rainfall, which could lead to more flooding in nearby communities.
