Editor’s Note: For the latest on Tropical Storm Debby’s Path as of Tuesday morning, go here.
Hurricane Debby made landfall on Monday as a Category 1 storm in Florida, according to the National Weather Service and is expected to move into Georgia by mid-afternoon.
The National Weather Service noted the hurricane will weaken by Tuesday night and could stall off the coast of South Carolina, bringing torrential rain to the state. As of noon on Monday, Debby has already been downgraded back to a tropical storm.
It’s already impacting flights out of Logan Airport, but as Monday morning, but Rhode Island is currently not directly in the path of the storm, though meteorologist Candice Hrencecin of the National Weather Service in Norton, said say the path of Debby “could change a bit,” in the coming days.
That being said, New England will likely feel the impacts of the storm later this week.
New England could see rain from Debby on Friday
New England is currently forecaseted to get “lots of heavy rain” as a result of the hurricane, Hrencecin said stressing that wouldn’t arrive until approximately Friday, Aug. 9.
“It’s a little far out right now to say,” Hrencecin said of the storm.
In a statement, AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said, echoed Hrencecin’s prediction that the northeast area of the country could potentially be affected by Hurricane Debby with excessive rainfall.
“As southerly steering breezes pick up later this week, Debby or some of Debby’s tropical moisture may be drawn north into the mid-Atlantic, central Appalachians and New England. Should this occur, enough rain to at least lead to travel disruptions is likely,” AccuWeather said in a press release. “However, in the case that Debby moves north as a tropical storm or rainstorm, local to widespread flooding problems could occur.”
Hurricane Debby tracker
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Hurricane Debby spaghetti models
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts.
How are hurricanes measured?
You’ve probably heard hurricanes referred to by categories, a metric for ranking how strong they are. According to the National Weather Service, here’s how they work:
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Category 1: Winds of 74-95 mph, causing minimal damage like flooding and uprooted trees.
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Category 2: Winds of 96-110 mph, causing moderate damage like coastal flooding, water and electricity shortages, and uprooted trees and signs.
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Category 3: Winds of 111-129 mph, causing extensive damage.
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Category 4: Winds of 130-156 mph, causing catastrophic damage like loss of roof structure and exterior walls, downed power poles and uprooted trees.
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Category 5: Winds of 157 mph or higher, the worst-case scenario, causing devastating damage.
How long does hurricane season last?
The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 in Massachusetts and the rest of New England.
This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: Hurricane Debby Path: What Rhode Island can expect later this week
Source Agencies
