Tracking Tropical Depression Debby (2024)

By Matthew Bloch, William B. Davis, Madison Dong, Judson Jones, John Keefe, Bea Malsky, and Veronica Penney

Leer en español

Debby was a tropical depression over North Carolina Thursday afternoon Eastern time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

The tropical depression had sustained wind speeds of 35 miles per hour. Excessive rainfall was expected to pose the biggest threat as the storm moved inland.

Precipitation intensity

Very light

Heavy

Extreme

By The New York Times

As Debby meanders at a walking pace through the Southeast this week, over 10 to 20 inches of rain could fall, with some areas reaching 30 inches.

Tracking Tropical Depression Debby (1)

Hourly precipitation

Total precipitation accumulation

Sunday through Friday

1

5

9

13

17 inches

Tracking Tropical Depression Debby (2)

Ind.

Ohio

Md.

W.Va.

Ky.

Va.

Tenn.

N.C.

S.C.

Ala.

Ga.

Fla.

Tracking Tropical Depression Debby (3)

Philadelphia

Columbus

Indianapolis

Maryland

Indiana

Ohio

Washington, D.C.

West

Virginia

Charleston

Frankfort

Virginia

Richmond

Kentucky

Nashville

Tennessee

Raleigh

Charlotte

North Carolina

Columbia

Atlanta

South Carolina

Alabama

Georgia

Montgomery

Savannah

Jacksonville

Florida

Tampa

Miami

Key West

Tracking Tropical Depression Debby (4)

Philadelphia

Columbus

Indianapolis

Maryland

Indiana

Ohio

Washington, D.C.

West

Virginia

Charleston

Frankfort

Kentucky

Virginia

Richmond

Nashville

Tennessee

Raleigh

Charlotte

North Carolina

Columbia

Atlanta

South Carolina

Alabama

Georgia

Montgomery

Savannah

Jacksonville

Florida

Tampa

Miami

Key West

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction

Notes: Data reflects near-real-time analysis of liquid precipitation amounts and shows accumulated rainfall from 8 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 4 through 9 a.m. Eastern on Aug. 9.

By Veronica Penney

Storm surge is the ocean water pushed ashore by the storm’s winds and has historically been the leading cause of death from hurricanes. If the surge occurs during high tide, it can have far-reaching effects.

Locations:

Potential storm surge flooding

1 foot

3 feet

6+ feet

Forecast path for Debby

All times on the map are Eastern. By The New York Times

What does the storm look like from above?

Satellite imagery can help determine the strength, size and cohesion of a storm.

Tracking Tropical Depression Debby (5)

By The New York Times

Debby is the fourth named storm to form in the Atlantic in 2024.

In late May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that there would be 17 to 25 named storms this year, an above-normal amount.

This season follows an overly active year, with 20 named storms — including an early storm later given the official name of “Unnamed.” It was the eighth year in a row to surpass the average of 14 named storms. Only one hurricane, Idalia, made landfall in the United States.

Typically, the El Niño pattern that was in force last season would have suppressed hurricanes and reduced the number of storms in a season. But in 2023, the warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic blunted El Niño’s usual effect of thwarting storms.

The warm ocean temperatures that fueled last year’s season returned even warmer at the start of this season, raising forecasters’ confidence that there would be more storms this year. The heightened sea surface temperatures could also strengthen storms more rapidly than usual.

To make matters worse, the El Niño pattern present last year is also diminishing, most likely creating a more suitable atmosphere for storms to form and intensify.

Hurricanes need a calm environment to form, and, in the Atlantic, a strong El Niño increases the amount of wind shear — a change in wind speed and/or direction with height — which disrupts a storm's ability to coalesce. Without El Niño this year, clouds are more likely to tower to the tall heights needed to sustain a powerful cyclone.

Sources and notes

Tracking map Source: National Hurricane Center | Notes: The map shows probabilities of at least 5 percent. The forecast is for up to five days, with that time span starting up to three hours before the reported time that the storm reaches its latest location. Wind speed probability data is not available north of 60.25 degrees north latitude.

Wind arrivals table Sources: New York Times analysis of National Hurricane Center data (arrival times); U.S. Census Bureau and Natural Earth (geographic locations); Google (time zones) | Notes: The table shows predicted arrival times of sustained, damaging winds of 58 m.p.h. or more for select cities with a chance of such winds reaching them. If damaging winds reach a location, there is no more than a 10 percent chance that they will arrive before the “earliest reasonable” time and a 50 percent chance they will arrive before the “most likely” time.

Radar map Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via Iowa State University | Notes: These mosaics are generated by combining the 130+ individual RADARs that comprise the NEXRAD network.

Storm surge map Source: National Hurricane Center | Notes: Forecasts only include the United States Gulf and Atlantic coasts, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The actual areas that could become flooded may differ from the areas shown on this map. This map accounts for tides, but not waves and not flooding caused by rainfall. The map also includes intertidal areas, which routinely flood during typical high tides.

Satellite map Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration| Notes: Imagery only updates between sunrise and sunset of the latest storm location.

Tracking Tropical Depression Debby (2024)

FAQs

Are there any hurricanes being tracked right now? ›

There are currently no active storms in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico.

What is the most accurate hurricane model? ›

In 2021, the GFS was the most accurate model followed by the European. Overall, the official forecast was the most accurate in terms of forecast track accuracy. The NHC also relies heavily on consensus models. The TVCN is a popular choice for tropical track forecasting.

What was the track of Tropical Storm Allison? ›

It drifted northward through the state, turned back to the south, and re-entered the Gulf of Mexico. The storm continued to the east-northeast, made landfall on Louisiana, then moved across the southeast United States and Mid-Atlantic.

How far inland has a hurricane ever gone? ›

Hurricanes can travel up to 100 to 200 miles inland. Once a hurricane moves inland, however, it can no longer draw on heat energy from the ocean and weakens rapidly to a tropical storm (39 to 73 MPH winds) or tropical depression.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Twana Towne Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6512

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (64 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Twana Towne Ret

Birthday: 1994-03-19

Address: Apt. 990 97439 Corwin Motorway, Port Eliseoburgh, NM 99144-2618

Phone: +5958753152963

Job: National Specialist

Hobby: Kayaking, Photography, Skydiving, Embroidery, Leather crafting, Orienteering, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.