Daunting Debby Roars Ashore in Florida, Will Soak Southeast
Areas along and south of I-85 in the WCCB Charlotte viewing area should prepare for at least a month's worth of rain (3-5") through this weekend.
Get ready for a soaking. Debby reached hurricane status late Sunday night and bears down on northern Florida with winds approaching 80 mph as of 4 AM Monday. Debby will continue to strengthen over the next 3-6 hours before making landfall by 9 AM Monday. Regardless of strength at landfall, wind isn’t the main threat – the rain is. Debby will meander aimlessly over the next several days after coming ashore, lacking in both direction and speed, meaning a boatload of rain will fall over the Southeast this week. Portions of coastal Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina will likely see rainfall totals well over a foot through the next five days before Debby eventually clears out to the east.
The forecast is tricky for the WCCB Charlotte viewing area, but communities along and south of I-85 should prepare for at least a month’s worth of rain (3-5″) through this weekend. Model disagreement is quite high when it comes to Debby’s path beyond Tuesday. Any small deviation in the track will have profound impacts on our forecast. Rainfall totals range between roughly a foot of rain in the Sandhills to only a few tenths of an inch in the High Country over the next five days. Should Debby trend more northwestward, more moisture will reach our neck of the woods; more southeastward means less rain for us.
Now is the time to prepare, especially if you live around the Metro and to the southeast. The farther south and east one goes, the higher the rain totals will be. While a few showers and storms are possible from time to time on Monday and Tuesday, widespread rain should begin in our Sandhills counties by Wednesday evening and may not let up until the weekend. Make sure you have enough food and supplies to last you several days in case you’re not able to go anywhere. Stay weather-wise and pay close attention to the forecast as it changes this week.
Monday: Variable clouds early become mostly cloudy later. A few storms in the afternoon, especially south. High: 88°. Wind: SW 5-15. Gusts: 20+
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy with a stray shower or storm. Low: 73°. Wind: SE 5-10.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with scattered storms, especially SE. High: 83°. Wind: E 5-10.
Tuesday Night: Overcast with scattered rain SE. Low: 73°. Wind: NE 5-15. Gusts: 20+
Wednesday: Remaining cloudy with scattered rain SE. Rain may be heavy at times. High: 83°. Wind: NE 5-15. Gusts: 20+
