Debby has made landfall in Florida.
SC will begin to see heavy rainfall associated with Debby today. Debby is expected to move very slowly over SC over the next week, leading to potentially historic heavy rainfall. The current rainfall forecast through the next 7 days includes:
Upstate: 2-6 inches
Midlands and Pee Dee: 8-15 inches
Grand Strand: 10-20 inches
Lowcountry: 20-30 inches
The areas of SC at greatest risk for flash flooding have expanded, and the Weather Prediction Center has highlighted portions of central and eastern SC as having a high risk (level 4 of 4) of flash flooding today through Wednesday. Heavy rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding is the greatest threat to SC from Hurricane Debby.
In addition to the heavy rainfall and flooding threat, storm surge and strong winds are also possible as Debby approaches SC. With the current forecast track, tropical storm force winds are expected beginning 8am on Tuesday for our southern coast and 8am on Wednesday for our northern coast. There is potential for 2 to 4 feet of storm surge inundation over normally dry tidal/near tidal regions.
Excessive Rainfall Outlook: https://lnkd.in/ee3stQnw
Southeast River Forecast Center: https://lnkd.in/eEFQyJVS
NWS GSP: https://lnkd.in/eB_XVvwJ
NWS ILM: https://lnkd.in/eXSS3bqN
NWS CAE: https://lnkd.in/euVqHCu2
NWS CHS: https://lnkd.in/e9CNHdSF
...EXPECTED TO BRING LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE IN PORTIONS OF FLORIDA AND MAJOR FLOODING IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES...
At 5am EDT, Hurricane Debby was located 270 miles southwest of Beaufort, SC with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and a minimum central pressure of 979 mb.
Debby is moving toward the north-northeast near 12 mph. A gradual decrease in forward speed with a turn toward the northeast and east is expected later today and Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center will reach the Florida Big Bend coast later this morning. Debby is then expected to move slowly across northern Florida and southern Georgia late today and Tuesday, and be near the Georgia coast by Tuesday night. Weakening is expected after Debby moves inland.
Storm Surge Warning: Georgia and South Carolina coast from the Mouth of the St. Mary's River to South Santee River South Carolina
Tropical Storm Warning: St. Augustine to South Santee River South Carolina
Storm Surge - Heights above ground: Mouth of the St. Mary's River to South Santee River, SC - 2-4 ft
Rainfall: Across portions of the coastal plain of South Carolina, 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, with local amounts to 30 inches, are expected through Saturday morning. This potentially historic rainfall will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding.
Tornadoes: A few tornadoes are possible in parts of coastal South Carolina later today and tonight.