Debby moves into Georgia with intense rain

A flooded entrance to a home on State Road 24 outside Otter Creek, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. Hurricane Debby, a category 1 storm, came ashore near the same stretch of coastline where Hurricane Idalia hit last year as a powerful Category 3. (Nicole Craine/The New York Times)

By Isabelle Taft and Patricia Mazzei

Tropical Storm Debby pushed into southern Georgia on Monday afternoon, slowing down after making landfall on Florida’s Big Bend coast and killing at least one person. The storm carried heavy rain that could lead to dangerous flooding from swollen streams and rivers. Georgia’s governor declared a state of emergency, and the mayor of Savannah imposed a 10 p.m. curfew.

Debby came ashore early Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, with sustained winds of 80 mph, at Steinhatchee, a coastal village of about 500 people on a sparsely populated stretch of the Florida coastline. Though little significant damage was initially reported, forecasters warned that flooding could be a greater concern from the slow-moving storm.

Here are the details:

— The rain will linger: Ten to 20 inches of rain will fall Monday along much of Florida’s Big Bend coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. As the storm stalls over the Southeast, some areas could receive up to 30 inches of rain through Friday morning. River flooding could last for weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said, and the hurricane center warned of “potentially historic” flooding in Savannah and Charleston, South Carolina.

— Back out to sea: The hurricane center predicts a storm surge of up to 4 feet on the Georgia and South Carolina coasts by midweek. Debby is expected to move offshore into the Atlantic, with winds pushing surf back toward the shoreline.

— Busy season: Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. In July, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded before it struck Texas at Category 1 strength, resulting in at least 23 deaths, according to officials, and leaving parts of the state without power for days. Seventeen to 25 named storms are expected before the season ends in late fall.

— Climate’s role: Hurricanes have become more destructive over time, in no small part because of the influences of a warming planet. Climate change is producing more powerful storms that generate heavier rainfall and flooding. But humans also make storm damage more extensive by continuing to build in vulnerable parts of the coast.

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