Miami: Florida receives Tropical Storm Debbie warning AlMomento.net

MIAMI — Florida has declared a state of emergency due to the potential approach of Tropical Storm Debbie, which could unleash days of heavy rain and flooding across the state and the Southeastern United States starting this weekend.

The system, with maximum winds of 48 km/h, was designated as a potential Tropical Cyclone 4 by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) as it was in the formation stage over Cuba and parts of the southern Bahamas on Friday.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for the Florida Keys south of the Cardassian Bridge, including the Dry Tortugas; the southern coast of the Florida Peninsula, east Cape Sable to east of the Cardassian Bridge; and the west coast of the Florida Peninsula, north of Bonita Beach to Arripica.

According to the National Hurricane Center’s forecast track, the system is expected to cross Cuba on Friday and move through the Florida Straits on Saturday before moving near or over Florida’s west coast Saturday night into Sunday night.

The NHS has called for monitoring of the rest of Florida and the southeastern coast of the United States, from Georgia to North Carolina.

Maximum sustained winds are around 30 mph (45 kph) with high gusts. The disturbance is expected to strengthen into a tropical depression as it moves through the Florida Straits on Saturday and then into a tropical storm on Saturday night.

Additionally, strong winds and storm surge could affect Florida. Tropical storm conditions are expected between the Florida Keys and the southern Florida Peninsula late Saturday and Saturday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The combination of storm surge and tides will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising water moving inland from the coast. If the largest surge occurs at high tide, water levels may reach the following heights somewhere in the specified area.

Regarding the rainfall threat from Debbie, Tropical Cyclone Four is expected to produce 100 to 200 mm of rainfall, with maximum totals of up to 300 mm over parts of Florida and the southeastern coast of the United States this weekend through Wednesday morning. This rainfall could cause flash and urban flooding and could cause isolated river overflowing.

Source: CNN

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