As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Debby has formed with sustained winds now at 40 mph. It is currently tracking west-northwest at 15 mph, but it is expected to turn northeast late Sunday or early Monday morning before its landfall around the Big Bend of Florida.
It is expected to strengthen into a cat. 1 hurricane prior to moving onshore.
A
T
ropical Storm Warning
is in effect for coastal Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties, up to Englewood, which means tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for inland Lee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties where tropical storm conditions are possible.
A Flood Watch is also in effect for parts of Southwest Florida, including coastal Lee and Charlotte counties through Monday— as well as all of Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties through Sunday night.
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for coastal Lee and Charlotte counties. Onshore winds may also produce higher tides and a peak storm surge of 1-4 feet. Homes and businesses near the coast should especially watch for flooding during high tide Sunday morning.
Our timeline for impacts of heavy rainfall, gusty winds and potentially some coastal flooding will be when this system makes its closest pass to SWFL which will be starting Saturday afternoon with the most impactful time Sunday morning.
The storm will bring several inches of rain and tropical storm-force winds. For now, the main impact on our community looks to be heavy downpours which could cause some flooding in poor drainage areas.
Rainfall from this system has the potential to bring 4-6 inches through Sunday. However, it's possible that parts of South Florida could see 6-10 inches of rain depending on where the heavier rain bands set up. This would be nearly a month's worth of rainfall in only 48 hours!
Excessive runoff may result in minor flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
Although we don't expect this to be a major wind event for us, a faster-forming storm could bring tropical storm-force winds to portions of the area, with gusts above 40 mph near the coast.
After landfall in the Big Bend by Monday morning, the system, the system will bring heavy rain and gusty winds to Georgia and South Carolina.
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