Tropical Storm Debby could bring “historic” rain to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts with 10 to 20 inches falling over the course of several days, forecasters warned Sunday.
Some areas, including Savannah, could see as much as 30 inches, the National Weather Service said.
Forecasters are particularly concerned that the storm will linger over the area after moving through northern Florida.
“We’re talking about a really slow-moving event, which is why we’re extremely worried about catastrophic rain levels here,” said Ron Morales, a meteorologist at the NWS Charleston office.
The Savannah area and South Carolina Lowcountry are under tropical storm and storm surge watches.
Why now: Savannah’s more-frequent flooding fueled by climate-induced extreme rain
Depending on Debby’s speed, tropical storm force winds (at least 39 mph) are possible in the Savannah area as early as Sunday night.
The heaviest rainfall is expected Tuesday (as much as 8 inches) and Wednesday (up to 6 inches), NWS said.
“We’re also watching increasing threat levels from wind surge, particularly storm surge, as higher tide levels coupled with heavy rainfall along the coast … make life worse,” Morales added.
Storm surge levels of 2 to 4 inches are possible. That, along with multiple high-tide cycles as heavy rain falls over several days, could exacerbate inland flooding because the water has nowhere to drain.
John Deem covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. He can be reached at 912-652-0213 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Tropical Storm Debby on track to dump ‘catastrophic’ rain on Savannah
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