Puerto Rico activated the National Guard and canceled the start of classes in public schools as forecasters warned that the U.S. territory would be hit by Tropical Storm Ernesto.
The weather system previously known as Hurricane Debby was not quite done with parts of the U.S. Sunday as flood warnings remained in effect in North Carolina and thousands were without power in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Debby’s last day over the U.S. before blowing into Canada Saturday inundated south-central New York and north-central Pennsylvania with rain, prompting evacuations and rescues by helicopter.
A flood watch remains in effect through the morning of Friday, Aug. 9, with rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations of primary concern.
Debby is expected to bring up to 25 inches of rain across parts of the Southeast. It's currently creeping over Georgia to the Atlantic Ocean, expected to return to shore this week with more strength.
Debby came ashore about five miles west of Steinhatchee, along the state's Big Bend region. It arrived with sustained winds of 80 mph, and is expected to cause flooding across much of the Gulf Coast.
It’s a good time to review where the best local information on tropical weather and emergency planning resides. Listed below are sites and sources we at The Current look to in each of the coastal counties and at the national level.
Be aware: NOAA and GEMA say the dangerous storm may bring catastrophic flooding to Coastal Georgia, with rainfall predicted in the range of 10 to 30 inches.
The storm is expected to reach hurricane-strength before it makes landfall in Florida on Monday. It could drop record-breaking rainfall amounts in parts of Georgia and South Carolina.
A tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Debby north of Cuba on Saturday and was predicted to become a hurricane as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical storm warnings and a hurricane watch were issued for the west coast of Florida and the panhandle as Debby crossed the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rains are expected across the Southeast.
The relentless series of storms caused deaths or damage from the Plains to Canada to New England. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power and air conditioning during days of sweltering heat.
