Historic flooding possible as TS Debby bears down on southeastern United States

Enlarge / Satellite image of Tropical Storm Debby on Sunday morning. (credit: NOAA)

As often happens during the month of July, the Atlantic tropics entered a lull after Hurricane Beryl struck Texas and short-lived Tropical Storm Chris moved into Mexico. But now, with African dust diminishing from the atmosphere and August well under way, the oceans have awoken.

Tropical Storm Debby formed this weekend, and according to forecasters with the National Hurricane Center, the system is likely to reach Category 1 hurricane status before making landfall along the coastal bend of western Florida on Monday.

As hurricanes go, this is not the most threatening storm the Sunshine State has seen in recent years. Yes, no one likes a hurricane, or the storm surge it brings. But Debby is likely to strike a relatively unpopulated area of Florida, venting much of its fury on preserves and wildlife areas. This won’t be pleasant by any means, but as hurricanes go this one should be fairly manageable from a wind and surge standpoint.