Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned Sunday that Tropical Storm Debby will leave severe flooding when it makes landfall in northern Florida on Monday as a hurricane.
Speaking to reporters from a hurricane control center, DeSantis said Debby will become a Category 1 hurricane in the coming hours before making landfall.
He said Debby will have a similar trajectory to that of Idalia, a powerful Category 4 hurricane that hit the north of the state in August last year, but warned that it could have “more severe effects” due to the heavy rains expected.
“This storm will not have Hurricane Idalia-level winds, but it will leave much more water in northern Florida and we expect very significant flooding,” DeSantis said.
The Florida governor, who activated the Florida National Guard to deal with possible emergencies, asked the population to be prepared and to avoid using vehicles in flooded areas.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, Debby is located 205 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Tampa.
The storm is moving north at 20 kilometers per hour (13 miles) with maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (65 miles).
According to the agency’s forecasts, Debby will make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, bringing heavy rains to northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Debby is the fourth tropical storm to form in the Atlantic basin this season, which began on June 1.
Until now, Alberto, Beryl and Chris had formed, of which the second became a Category 5 hurricane, the maximum on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale.
With information from EFE
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