Tropical Storm Warnings are up for the Alabama Gulf Coast east to the Suwannee River (east of Apalachicola) in Florida. Debby is now positioned about 190 miles ESE of the Mouth of the Mississippi River. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting Debby to nearly stall through the evening hours. At last check Debby was moving northeast and now the system appears to be slowing.
I’ve included the latest streamline analysis that shows the winds at 18,000 ft drifting from NE to SW over Alabama and this is a big factor in the NHC forecast. This is the flow around the high pressure ridge that’s expected to block Debby and force the system westward.
The heaviest rain so far has been in the N and NE quadrant of the storm system so if we see a continued northward jog, that would shift the heavier rain further north into south Alabama. Winds associated with Debby are now at 60 mph, but some gusts near hurricane force are possible. Tropical storm force wind gusts extend out 200 miles and these winds are already being felt in the big bend of Florida.
The main impact for our area through tomorrow will be subsiding air surrounding the cyclone. This will continue to bring the extreme heat. As of 11 AM, temperatures were already in the low 90s across the area. A stray shower or storm may develop later today. This coverage of storms could increase if Debby’s outer bands migrate further inland.
The Alabama Gulf coast looks to receive a high impact from Debby, with high surf, heavy rain, and tropical storm forced winds expected. The latest forecast also shows Debby growing into a hurricane by Wednesday and targeting SE Louisiana, this would include New Orleans. We’ll keep you posted!
Fox 6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt
Twitter @ weswyattweather
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