Storm Alert – Debby – August 9, 2024

Debby, although no longer a tropical storm, brought heavy rain, flooding, and tornado threats across a wide area of the eastern United States on Friday as it moved at 35 mph northward toward New York and the Northeast. The storm, which had winds of 30-35 mph, triggered tornado and flood warnings in Washington, DC, After causing significant flooding in the Carolinas, Debby continued to impact the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, with New York expected to experience flooding later in the day as the storm accelerated northward.

Southeastern North Carolina could see an additional 3 to 6 inches of rain, with storm totals reaching up to 15 inches. Eastern South Carolina may receive an additional 1 to 3 inches, bringing totals as high as 20 to 25 inches. South Carolina is still experiencing a flash flood emergency, so Mansfield is keeping Code Orange in that state and requesting 48 hours for new deliveries.

Central North Carolina to Virginia could experience 3 to 7 inches of rain, with local amounts up to 10 inches, potentially causing considerable flash flooding, especially in western Virginia, along with possible river flooding. In areas from Maryland through Upstate New York and Vermont, 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected, with local amounts up to 6 inches, likely resulting in flash, urban, and river flooding.

Mansfield also has eyes on another tropical disturbance currently southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, producing showers and thunderstorms over the Tropical Atlantic.  Development is expected to be slow over the next couple of days as the storm moves westward. Conditions are expected to become more favorable for development by early next week, with a possible tropical depression forming as the system nears the Lesser Antilles. The system is forecasted to continue moving west-northwestward, potentially approaching the Greater Antilles by mid-next week. The formation chance is near 0% in the next 48 hours and 60% over the next 7 days.