Polk County Emergency Management isn’t expecting any immediate impact from Tropical Storm Debby as of the latest update following a morning teleconference with the National Weather Service.
The current tracking models has Tropical Storm Debby – the fourth named storm of the season – going through the bend in Florida and up the east coast through Southeast Georgia and the Lowcountry of South Carolina, bringing heavy rains and winds to that side of the coast.
Outer feeder bands could bring some rain as the storm makes landfall, predicted on Monday morning by 8 a.m.
Rainfall predictions for the fast moving storm that has formed in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend is being called “historic” by NWS forecasters for the Coastal Plains and Southeast Georgia, up through the Carolinas.
Storm surge for TS Debby is also expected to be dangerous for the big bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Debby is expected to strengthen to hurricane status by the time it makes landfall.
As the storm approaches landfall, some gusty winds in Northwest Georgia might be possible depending on the track, but for now those are not expected to be over 30 mph per EMA officials.
Officials did caution those with relatives or friends in South Georgia to pay attention to the forecast and make preparations for the potential of storm damage and flooding.
Ahead of the storm, Governor Brian Kemp on Saturday night declared a State of Emergency for all 159 counties across Georgia.
Gov. Kemp’s declaration was made ahead of the storm due to the likely impact of power outages and storm damage from high winds as the storm makes landfall as a hurricane.
Check back for additional information as it becomes available.
