US coast braces for impact as tropical storm strengthens into a hurricane with urgent storm surge warning issued - here's where it'll make landfall

Tropical Storm Debby has been upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane by nan National Hurricane Center, and it continues connected a collision people pinch nan Florida coastline.

The agency issued a large wind advisory astatine 11pm informing that nan hurricane has winds of 75 miles per hour, presenting a 'major flood threat' to nan southeastern US this week.

A hurricane informing is now successful effect for nan Florida gulf seashore from Yankeetown - 93 miles northbound of Tampa - each nan measurement to Indian Pass, which is good into nan Florida panhandle.

Hurricane Debby is apt to frighten aggregate areas of Florida pinch flooding, but nan nonstop timing of rainfall is still undetermined.

The hurricane will make landfall by Monday astatine 8am successful nan Big Bend of Florida, an region of marshland and woodlands that besides contains Tallahassee, a metropolis of complete 200,000. Gainesville and Jacksonville are besides apt beryllium nether awesome threat arsenic nan hurricane progresses.

'Debby is past expected to move slow crossed bluish Florida and confederate Georgia Monday and Tuesday, and beryllium adjacent nan Georgia seashore by Tuesday night,' according to nan advisory.

By nan mediate of nan week, nan hurricane is expected to dump astir 2 feet of rainfall connected parts of Georgia and South Carolina. 

Specifically, nan cities of Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina could some beryllium deed pinch a month's worthy of rainfall successful a azygous time - and possibly moreover a emblematic summer's worthy of rainfall passim nan people of nan storm, ABC7 reported.

This 'potentially historical rainfall' crossed southeast Georgia and South Carolina, arsenic nan National Hurricane Center put it, will origin vulnerable flash flooding. 

In response, nan governors of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina person already declared a authorities of emergency and are urging residents to hunker down and hole for nan aggregate impacts of nan storm. 

'I deliberation what's going to make this overmuch different than what we had pinch Idalia is it is going to move very slow erstwhile it enters Florida – it's going to beryllium confederate Georgia, bluish Florida – and it is conscionable going to driblet an inordinate magnitude of h2o connected nan northbound cardinal Florida region,' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told FOX Weather on Sunday.

'There's going to beryllium a batch of trees that are going to autumn down. You're going to person debris. You are going to person powerfulness interruption,' he added, 'so conscionable hole for that.' 

Right now, nan halfway of nan hurricane is situated successful nan eastbound Gulf of Mexico, pinch nan outer parts of nan large wind lashing nan westbound seashore of nan Florida peninsula.

A preview of what's to travel was seen on formation cities for illustration Fort Myers, Sanibel Island, and Gulf Port, which are each group on nan state's famously volatile occidental coast.

Fort Myers was deed difficult pinch aggravated flooding, though nary charismatic removal bid was given.

Cape Coral besides knowledgeable flooding, arsenic did nan sister cities' obstruction land Sanibel, and Gulf Port further north.

In St. Petersburg, which is adjacent Tampa, waves bashed nan seashore arsenic tropical storm-force winds howled.

Thousands of Tampa Bay area residents stay without power, moreover though nan large wind is gradually leaving nan area.

There are a full of much than 80,000 customers who person nary energy successful Florida arsenic of 1am ET, according to poweroutage.us.

The hurricane advisory stressed that nan incoming large wind is 'a life-threatening situation,' and group wrong nan affected aliases soon-to-be-affected areas should return precautions to protect themselves and their spot from rising h2o levels. 

When nan hurricane yet makes landfall, WeatherTiger meteorologist Ryan Truchelut said he expects Tallahassee to flight nan worst of nan storm's vengeance. 

He expects Tallahassee will spot sporadic little extremity tropical large wind winds ranging from 40 to 50 miles per hour, he told the Tallahassee Democrat.

Forecasters are taking to societal media to explicate really Debby's landfall is yet different motion that this year's hurricane play could beryllium nightmarish.

Colorado State University hurricane investigation Philip Klotzbach noted that Hurricane Beryl conscionable precocious made landfall successful Texas successful July.

'It would beryllium only nan 9th twelvemonth connected grounds pinch 2 continental US hurricane landfalls by August 5,' he wrote connected X. 'Other years were: 1886, 1909, 1916, 1934, 1936, 1959, 2005, and 2020. Hurricane Beryl made landfall successful Texas successful July.' 

A tornado watch has besides been issued for overmuch of nan Florida Peninsula and parts of confederate Georgia until Monday morning, covering much than 13 cardinal people, including nan cities of Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando.

State courts successful 22 counties will beryllium closed successful anticipation of nan storm's arrival, according to a societal media station from nan Florida Supreme Court.

Debby is besides wreaking havoc astatine airports arsenic acold down nan seashore arsenic Miami. 

Miami International Airport has seen 265 cancellations and much than 300 delays for some outgoing and incoming flights, according to FlightAware. 

Likewise, nan airports serving Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa person seen dozens of cancellations and hundreds of delays.

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey announced connected X that nan city's airdrome would beryllium preemptively shutting down astatine midnight.

'Tallahassee International Airport will suspend non-emergency operations opening astatine midnight and anticipates resuming normal operations astatine noon Monday,' Dailey wrote. ' The Fire Department has 5 units equipped pinch rescue watercraft disposable for contiguous deployment should h2o rescues and/or evacuations beryllium necessary.' 

As Debby inevitably moves inland, President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for Florida connected Sunday, which will nonstop national resources and unit to woody pinch alleviation efforts.

It isn't yet clear if Biden will do nan aforesaid for Georgia and South Carolina, some soon-to-be targets of nan impending system. 

The adjacent hurricane advisory from nan National Hurricane Center will beryllium published astatine 2am ET.