Debby’s heavy rain, flooding and tornado threats spanned hundreds of miles of the eastern United States Friday as it raced north toward the Northeast.
Debby lost its tropical status Friday morning but was still a potent storm, triggering tornado and flood warnings for Washington, DC, and a flash flood emergency and water rescues in South Carolina.
The system had sustained winds of 35 mph with stronger gusts Friday morning and was racing through the Northeast after hovering over the Carolinas for days, creating dangerous flood conditions.
At least seven people have died in the Southeast since Debby crashed into Florida as a Category 1 storm on Monday. Its torrential downpours and heavy winds have shredded homes, flooded neighborhoods and trapped people in cars, homes and boats – and sweltering heat across the region this weekend could make recovery efforts more difficult.
Several tornado warnings were issued for the Washington, DC, area including one near Reagan National Airport just after 8:20 a.m. The warning was cancelled less than 20 minutes later, but underscored how quickly Debby’s threats ramp up. Multiple flash flood warnings were issued for the greater area with rain falling at extreme rates of more than 1 inch every 20 minutes.
Torrential rain quickly ponded on roadways and caused issues for public transportation in the area. Multiple lines of the district’s Metrorail service were experiencing delays due to flooding.
Debby fed gushing rain over parts of South Carolina overnight, prompting dozens of water rescues north of Charleston, according to local officials. At least 26 water rescues occurred in Berkeley County as of Friday morning, emergency management spokesperson Jenna-Lee Walls told CNN. Most were around Moncks Corner, about 30 miles north of Charleston, where a rare flash flood emergency was issued.
The area received almost 9 inches of rain in six hours, with 2 to 3 feet of fast-moving water on roads, the National Weather Service said. No serious injuries were reported. Roadways in and around the area remained seriously flooded Friday morning.
Frederick County, Virginia, was under a state of emergency Friday morning due to flooding that forced multiple water rescues, officials said. The area is around 60 miles west of Washington, DC, and tucked into the Appalachians. The elevated terrain makes it more susceptible to higher rainfall totals from Debby.
The heaviest rainfall on Friday will spread from central Pennsylvania through central New York and into Vermont. Between 2 to 4 inches of rainfall are expected in the area, with some isolated higher amounts possible. Peak rainfall isn’t expected to hit New York City until after the evening commute hours. And by Saturday morning, the rainfall associated with Debby will quickly be exiting northern New England.
Though rainfall totals will be lower Friday compared to earlier this week – when Debby dumped more than a foot of rain on parts of the Southeast – the Northeast has a significant threat of flooding, especially in high-terrain areas.
The flood threat is being compounded in much of the region due to underlying wet conditions from a flooding event earlier this week. More than 40 million people are under some level of flood alert, stretching over 900 miles from Georgia to New York and northern New England.
A tornado watch is in effect until 2 p.m. EDT for more than 26.1 million people in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, according to the Storm Prediction Center. This includes DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
A 78-year-old woman was found dead Thursday after a tree fell on her trailer in Rockingham, North Carolina, which was under a tornado watch earlier that day, a county sheriff said. Earlier Thursday, a man was found dead in North Carolina’s Wilson County after his home collapsed during a tornado spawned by Debby, a county official said. At least five other storm-related deaths have been reported: Four people in Florida and one in Georgia.
Hazardous heat has been baking the Southeast in Debby’s wake and is expected to continue throughout the weekend, creating potentially miserable conditions for recovery efforts across the region. While high temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s are expected, the heat indices – how the body feels under combined heat and humidity – could exceed 110 degrees. The heat index on Friday could hit 112 degrees in Valdosta, Georgia, and approach 110 degrees in Jacksonville, Florida.
Debby has dumped more than a foot of rain over parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas this week, triggering flooding that has prompted water rescues as some people became trapped in homes and vehicles as murky floodwaters rose around them.
Three children in Raleigh, North Carolina, were rescued Thursday after slipping into the rushing waters of a creek that had been fed by Debby’s rainfall, local fire officials said.
The children – 11-year-old Andrew; his 8-year-old sister, Evelyn; and their friend – told CNN affiliate WRAL they had been trying to cross the creek while playing but were caught off guard by the swift-moving water. When rescue personnel arrived, the kids were hanging on to a tree branch.
“It was very scary because the water – it was just rushing on and there were a bunch of sticks and they were hitting us. And it was really scary because at the end, (my friend) was barely holding on,” Evelyn told WRAL.
Another child who had safely crossed the creek was able to call 911. “The rescue team came just in time,” Evelyn said.
