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Hurricane Debby inundates northern Florida with heavy rains and flooding

Jaiden Skinner, left, and Nani Hicks check on their neighborhood as high winds, rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby inundate Cedar Key, Florida, on Monday, August 5.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Getty Images North America
Jaiden Skinner, left, and Nani Hicks check on their neighborhood as high winds, rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby inundate Cedar Key, Florida, on Monday, August 5.

Hurricane Debby edged closer to landfall along Florida's northwestern coastline Monday as forecasters warned of a potentially deadly storm surge in the state and flooding across the southeastern U.S.

As of 5 a.m. ET Monday, the storm had wind speeds of 80 miles per hour and was about 45 miles northwest of Cedar Key, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters has upgraded Debby to a Category 1 hurricane late Sunday night.

Watches and warnings have been issued for hurricane conditions and tropical storm conditions and storm surges, which are expected to range from 2 to 10 feet in Florida’s Big Bend region, which refers to the curvature of the state that stretches from near Tallahassee down to about Tampa.

Rainfall amounts could reach between 6 and 18 inches in pockets of central and northern Florida, up to North Carolina by Friday morning. Tornadoes are also possible in those parts of Florida, as well as southern Georgia on Monday.

Debby is expected to move through Georgia and South Carolina after leaving Florida. Areas in those states could receive at least 10 inches of rain, up to a record 30 inches through Friday morning.

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Ayana Archie
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.
Joe Hernandez
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Rebecca Hersher (she/her) is a reporter on NPR's Science Desk, where she reports on outbreaks, natural disasters, and environmental and health research. Since coming to NPR in 2011, she has covered the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, embedded with the Afghan army after the American combat mission ended, and reported on floods and hurricanes in the U.S. She's also reported on research about puppies. Before her work on the Science Desk, she was a producer for NPR's Weekend All Things Considered in Los Angeles.