A depression in the Gulf of Mexico turned into a tropical storm late Saturday afternoon as it moved past Cuba and intensified with winds near 40 mph.
Tropical Storm Debby marks the fourth named storm of the year after a sleepy start to the hurricane season exploded to life last month when a monstrous Category 5 Hurricane Beryl become the strongest Atlantic storm ever recorded in July.
Federal meteorologists had much of Florida’s west coast, including the Tampa Bay area, under a tropical storm warning on Saturday and said storm surge could reach up to 4 feet if the storm’s peak arrives at high tides.
Related: SUNDAY UPDATE: Tampa Bay braces for rain, flooding as Tropical Storm Debby nears
Officials in Pasco, Hillsborough and Hernando counties are opening shelters this evening while Pasco and Hernando have issued a voluntary evacuation order for certain residents.
The storm’s center is expected to pass to the west of Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon, bringing up to 40-mph winds and five to 10 inches of rain through the weekend, according to Rodney Wynn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office. Areas along the coast could see higher amounts of rain, he said.
The storm is expected to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday afternoon. The area from Suwannee River to the Ochlockonee River was in a hurricane warning on Saturday, meaning winds of at least 75 mph are expected there by Sunday night.
As of 8 p.m. Saturday, Debby was 270 miles south of Tampa and was moving northwest at 14 mph. Hurricane Hunter planes were en route to investigate the storm on Saturday night.
The Tampa Bay region was under a storm surge watch Saturday afternoon, as the storm’s arrival looked likely to coincide with a new moon that could swell tides to higher levels than normal. There was a chance that rising waters pushing inland could reach heights up to 4 feet in the Tampa Bay area if the storm’s peak rolls in at high tide.
Pasco and Hernando counties issued a voluntary evacuation orders for residents living in Zone A and for those living in a manufactured home, mobile home or RV anywhere in the counties. The voluntary orders also extended to people living in low-lying areas prone to flooding. County officials said special-needs residents or those who would be vulnerable in the event of power loss should evacuate.
On Saturday evening, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties planned to open shelters for people with special needs and those living in flood-prone areas. Those opened at Erwin Technical College, 2010 E. Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa; Fasano Regional Hurricane Center at 1161 Denton Ave. in Hudson; and West Hernando Middle School, 14325 Ken Austin Pkwy Parkway in Brooksville.
The sandbag shuffle was in full swing Friday and into Saturday morning, with residents in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties scrambling to stuff their bags at government-designated fill-up sites in the hopes it could stave off possible flooding. While sandbags are good for curbing minor water intrusion, officials note they don’t stop storm surge or major floodwaters.
Clearwater Emergency Management Division Chief Jevon Graham said Saturday morning that storm surge and rainfall are the biggest threats for the city. Four feet of storm surge could go over the seawalls on north Clearwater Beach, he said.
The city was preparing by clearing debris and drainage systems in low-lying areas, prepping sand bag locations and placing generators in a few key spots near lift stations.
”We’re just kind of prepping the city for the flood that may potentially come our way,” he said
The storm is churning through a swath of extra-hot ocean water as it makes the trek northward. Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, from the Big Bend south to the Florida Keys, bordered 90 degrees Fahrenheit this week. That’s warmer than average for this early in August, according to Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami.
The fourth named storm of the hurricane season typically arrives,on average, by Aug. 15, according to Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University. Tropical Storm Debby is running about two weeks ahead of schedule.
Top meteorologists agreed in May that the 2024 season was shaping up to be potentially historic, with federal experts issuing their most aggressive outlook in history.
Forecasters pointed to warmer-than-usual Atlantic temperatures and an emerging La Niña weather pattern for their reasoning. Hurricanes can strengthen as they pull energy from hot waters, and a La Niña is known to be more friendly to hurricane formation with typically favorable environmental conditions.
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