After resulting in at least six fatalities in the Southeast, Tropical Storm Debby has weakened into a tropical depression but continues to pose risks as it gains speed, spreading heavy rainfall and the potential for tornadoes to northern regions.
By Thursday afternoon, the system was located 45 miles east of Charlotte, North Carolina, with its effects felt from the Carolinas to southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey as it moved toward the Northeast.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of North Carolina extending to the DC-Baltimore area. On Thursday evening, several tornado warnings were issued as the storm generated thunderstorms with rotating systems, including one for an observed tornado near Wilmington, Delaware.
Flood watches and warnings were issued along the Eastern Seaboard as heavy downpours affected areas already saturated by Debby’s persistent rains. Flood warnings have reached the US-Canada border, with upstate New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire expecting several additional inches of rain through Saturday.
The storm’s death toll increased to six on Thursday following a deadly tornado in Lucama, North Carolina, which resulted in a man’s death and caused damage to homes and a school in the area, approximately 35 miles southeast of Raleigh.
Since making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, Debby has delivered over a foot of rain across sections of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. This excessive rainfall has led to swollen rivers, flooded streets, and trapped individuals in their homes, vehicles, and boats. Additionally, dangerously high temperatures are anticipated in the region over the next few days, complicating recovery efforts.
In Lucama, North Carolina, parts of Springfield Middle School were torn off due to a tornado linked to Debby. After the storm struck early Thursday, the destruction included a church and multiple homes. Alongside the local casualty, four deaths have also been reported in Florida and one in Georgia.
Debby has produced at least a dozen confirmed tornadoes across Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. A significant tornado in Snow Hill, North Carolina was termed “large, extremely dangerous, and potentially deadly.” A tornado watch is currently active through 8 p.m. ET for approximately 6.8 million individuals in eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia, covering cities like Raleigh, Virginia Beach, and Richmond.
The storm is expected to accelerate as it moves through Pennsylvania and New York on Friday and into New England by early Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rains and a risk of flash flooding to areas already affected by earlier storms.
In response to the widespread damage, President Joe Biden has authorized disaster declarations for Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, which have been severely impacted by Debby this week. Over 700 personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been dispatched to the Southeast, with search and rescue teams on standby.
Debby’s intense rainfall led to a flash flood emergency in North Carolina, where a local town became isolated due to approximately 8 inches of rain falling within hours. In Bladenboro, located in southern North Carolina, officials reported floodwaters reaching three feet deep.
High temperatures, potentially exceeding 110 degrees when factoring in humidity, are expected to persist over the Southeast through the weekend. The predicted highs are in the upper 80s and lower 90s, especially near where Debby first made landfall in Steinhatchee, Florida.
Reports from affected areas highlight devastation caused by Debby’s rains and winds, with homes destroyed and roads rendered impassable. In Raleigh, emergency crews rescued three children from a flooded creek after they misjudged the water’s current while attempting to cross on bicycles.
In South Carolina, floodwaters have unexpectedly transformed a resident’s yard in Bluffton into a habitat for alligators, with numerous reptiles spotted swimming in the area. Local resident Adrienne LeBlanc shared her surprise at witnessing eight alligators in her backyard, a common occurrence during flooding but unusual at this scale.
Despite residing in Bluffton for 17 years, LeBlanc noted this was only the second time she experienced such extensive flooding, recalling Hurricane Matthew’s impact in 2016. South Carolina has not encountered a named storm landfall since Hurricane Ian in 2022.
This is an ongoing story and updates will follow.