By: Shawn Wang

In May, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s forecasters predicted an above average number of named hurricanes for the hurricane season, with 17 to 25 expected. Debby is the fourth so far.
Debby strengthened from a tropical storm into a hurricane just hours before it hit Florida early on Monday. This could cause “claustrophobic flooding” and heavy rainfall in the Southeast, according to forecasters.

A hurricane warning was issued for the Florida Gulf Coast and tropical storm and storm surge warnings were placed for residents along the coasts of Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. “This is a life-threatening situation,” the National Hurricane Center said on Sunday.

Debby is expected to reach Florida Panhandle early on Monday. The storm can be anything from a five-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay, to a 10-foot surge that hits where the storm center pushes. “If you have been asked to evacuate by your local officials and you live in one of those storm surge evacuation zones, you still have time to get to a safe place,” Mr. Brennan, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) director said.
Three thousand members of the state National Guard helped respond to the storm. Fifteen counties were put under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders covering thousands of residents where storm surge and major flooding was expected.

Sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/04/weather/florida-tropical-storm-debby.html