Makes Landfall On Tuesday Afternoon; Takes Florida From Drought To Deluge

Tropical Storm Debby made landfall on Tuesday afternoon after grinding away in the Northeastern Gulf for the past several days. By the time it came ashore, the fourth named storm of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season has lost a lot of punch with maximum sustained winds at only minimal tropical storm force. However, Debby has still produced a lot of flooding throughout the Sunshine State.

Latest doppler radar estimates out of Florida show rainfall amounts ranging from about a quarter of an inch in the Southwestern portion of the state to well over 10 inches in the northern part of the state. Some areas in Northern Florida have received well over two feet of rain. The city of Jacksonville, which had recently taken a punch from Tropical Storm Beryl, has received 13.28 inches of rain from Debby as of 6:00 AM this morning according to the Weather Channel.

Other locales in Northern Florida have taken a bigger hit. Portions of Wakulla County have received upwards of 28 inches of rain from this storm. With locations such as Homosassa receiving 2 inches per hour on Sunday, and Eugene getting 6.90 inches on Sunday alone, Florida has gone from drought to Deluge. Consequently, there is flooding all along the I-10 corridor, which has parts of it closed including a 20 mile stretch in Baker County. The National Weather Service indicates that major flooding is occurring along the St. Mary’s River near Macclenny, North Fork Black Creek near Middleburg, and the Suwanne River at White Springs. Minor Flooding is occurring along the Aucilla River at Lamont, and the St. Mark’s River near Newport.

There were other effects as well. On Sunday, Debby’s outer bands spiraled into the Gulf Coast of Florida, and the rotation and shear produced from those bands spawned 20 tornadoes in that part of the state. There were also 12 reports of high winds including a wind gust of 62 miles per hour in Hollywood located in Broward County. Tropical Storm force winds of 44 miles per hour with gusts up to 48 were reported in the Big Bend area of Florida. After crossing Northern Florida last night, Debby, now a depression, has emerged off the coast near Daytona Beach into the Atlantic.

As of 5:00 AM EDT this morning, the depression was located some 25 miles to the Southeast of St. Augustine, Florida. Maximum sustained winds were at 35 miles per hour, and movement was to the East-Northeast at 10 miles per hour. Wind gusts were estimated at 45 miles per hour while the barometric pressure had risen to 998 millibars, or 29.47 inches of Hg. There are no tropical storm watches or warnings in effect.