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Like an unwelcome guest who just can’t take a hint, Tropical Storm Debby moved inland over South Carolina’s Pee Dee region early Thursday after loitering off the Palmetto State coast for the last two days – dousing the Lowcountry with torrential rains which caused widespread localized flooding.
As of 8:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday morning, the center of Debby was located at latitude 34.1° N, longitude 79.9° W. For those of you non-cartographers, that puts the system near Hollman Crossroads, S.C. – which is approximately 65 miles west-northwest of Myrtle Beach, S.C. When last measured, the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour – which was down modestly from when she made landfall six hours earlier at Bulls Bay, S.C.
Tropical storm force winds extended approximately 185 miles outward from Debby’s center, per the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida.
Debby’s landfall was the first direct impact of a tropical storm on South Carolina in nearly two years. Hurricane Ian was the last tropical system to strike the Palmetto State – making landfall just south of Georgetown as a category one system on September 30, 2022.
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Debby is expected to revert back to a tropical depression – i.e. a storm with maximum sustained winds of less than 39 miles per hour – later today (August 8, 2024).
As for Debby’s projected path, North Carolina is now very much in her crosshairs.
“The storm is expected to accelerate toward the north-northwest and north across eastern South Carolina and central North Carolina through tonight,” NHC forecasters noted. “Debby is then expected to move faster toward the northeast across the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Friday and Atlantic Canada on Saturday.”
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Surface observations, satellite images, and radar data indicate that the center of Debby made landfall near Bulls Bay, South Carolina.
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 8, 2024
This does not mean the flood threat has ended! A high risk of flash flooding continues for portions of South Carolina, North Carolina, and… pic.twitter.com/2guia2h7K3
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Lingering rainfall from Debby is likely to add to huge precipitation totals amassed over the past two days.
“Additional rainfall of 1 to 3 inches over portions of eastern South Carolina will bring maximum storm total amounts as high as 20 to 25 inches,” the NHC release added. “Considerable flooding is expected across portions of eastern South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Friday.”
South Carolina’s Lowcountry – including Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties – bore the brunt of Debby’s flooding.
Here is a look at some of the current flood conditions from Colleton County…
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??? Here are some pictures of TS Debby flooding taken by our Deputies while patrolling. They have been very busy keeping reports of the conditions around the county accurate and up to date for the Emergency Operations Center. ??? pic.twitter.com/3yPdmNnSwr
— Colleton County Sheriff's Office (@ccsocares) August 8, 2024
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Meanwhile, emergency responders in downtown Charleston, S.C. appeared to discover a portal to another dimension on Romney Street near an Interstate 26 off-ramp late Wednesday evening.
Take a look…
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With the immediate threat from Debby dissipating, our attention now turns to assessing the damage inflicted by the storm – and to the likelihood of additional tropical activity as we approach the peak of the 2024 season.
As we previously reported, this is projected to be an extremely busy year in the Atlantic basin, with forecasters predicting a “blockbuster” and “super-charged” 2024 hurricane season.
NHC experts have projected anywhere between 17 and 25 named storms this season – the most they’ve ever predicted – including anywhere from eight to thirteen hurricanes and four to seven major hurricanes. Most seasons have fourteen named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
The record for named storms in a season is 30 – set in 2020.
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Driving these projections is the delicate interplay between El Niño and La Niña – water temperature patterns in the Pacific Ocean. For those of you uninitiated, El Niño refers to the periodic warming of the central and eastern equatorial regions of the Pacific Ocean – while La Niña refers to the cooling of the Pacific that takes place in its aftermath.
During El Niño years, hurricanes are less likely to form in the Atlantic due to increased vertical wind shear – or changes in wind speed and direction between 5,000 and 35,000 feet. Vertical wind shear essentially breaks apart developing hurricanes – often preventing them from forming altogether. During La Niña, the potential for hurricane formation – and rapid intensification of these storms – is much stronger due to reduced vertical wind shear. Basically, calmer conditions make it easier for storms to form – and intensify rapidly.
We’ve already seen one major storm undergo rapid intensification this season: Hurricane Beryl.
As you can see below, a strong El Niño has almost completely given way to La Niña conditions. That favors the development and strengthening of storms over the next two months as the tropical season approaches its zenith.
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Prior to Debby, South Carolina had seen a total of 44 tropical cyclones make landfall along its coastline since 1851, according to the most recent comprehensive hurricane survey (.pdf) from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). Of those systems, only four (4) made landfall as major hurricanes: The 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane, Hurricane Hazel in 1954, Hurricane Gracie in 1959, and Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Thankfully, no category five hurricanes have ever hit the Palmetto State’s 187-mile coastline.
Count on our media outlet to keep our audience advised as to the latest developments related to this system and its potential impact on the Palmetto State. For more information on Debby and other developments in the tropics, be sure to check out our new weather page.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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