The National Hurricane Center is predicting the eye of the storm to sit in the Atlantic Ocean before moving north through South Carolina and into North Carolina this weekend.
Tropical Storm Debby moves closer to NC
As Debby slowly approaches, central North Carolina will experience rounds of rain and increasingly gusty winds Tuesday through Friday. There's already a high risk of flooding in areas that have experienced rain in the past few weeks.
Beach erosion is also expected along the coast.
Southeastern NC bracing for Tropical Storm Debby
It will be a nervous few days for northern South Carolina and southern North Carolina where forecasters warned up to 15 inches of rain could fall. Those totals are close to what the region saw in a historic flood from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Then two years later, rains and flooding from Hurricane Florence broke many of those records. Both storms killed dozens.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Monday, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared the same for his state Tuesday.
There is a high risk for Raleigh and counties to the south to experience flash flooding.
Storm totals could be 8 to 12 inches in the Sandhills and the Triangle could see 6 to 9 inches by Friday night.
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The State of Emergency activates state emergency plans in various industries and includes the activation of the law to curb price gouging.
"This weather has the potential to bring intense rain and flooding to North Carolina and we are preparing for it," Cooper said. "As the weather becomes more severe, I urge everyone to take precautions and stay safe."
Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.
Flooding and power outages are expected to start Tuesday and continue through the rest of the week, according to North Carolina Emergency Management officials.
Tropical Storm Debby being felt all along North, South Carolina coasts
WATCH: Special Debby edition of The Weather Show
Tracking Debby: Tuesday night detailed forecast
Storm Path
Several areas along North Carolina's coastline are prone to flooding, such as Wilmington and the Outer Banks. Virginia could see impacts including strong winds, heavy rains and flooding.
Debby's center was about 30 miles southeast of Savannah on Tuesday night, At 11 p.m., Debby was moving slowly (5 mph) to the east with top winds of 40 mph.
The storm was expected to slowly move out to sea, then reverse and creep back onshore Thursday near Charleston.
"Tropical cyclones always produce heavy rain, but normally as they're moving, you know, it doesn't accumulate that much in one place," Richard Pasch of the hurricane center said. "But when they move very slowly, that's the worst situation."
North Carolina officials are monitoring the storm's progress, as it could turn north after tracking along the South Carolina coast. That change in direction would send the system right through the heart of the Tar Heel state.
Debby is finally forecast to pick up speed Thursday, and it could move up the middle of North Carolina, through Virginia and into the Washington area by Saturday.
Forecasters say Debby's biggest effects could be as much as 30 inches of rain in localized areas throughout South Carolina, causing floodwaters to rise quickly in small areas.
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"This storm may not have the high winds of a hurricane, but it has the potential to cause life-threatening floods across the state. And I would like to emphasize that Tropical Storm Debby is not just a coastal event, but it is a statewide event," South Carolina Emergency Management Division Director Kim Stenson said at a Monday afternoon news conference.
Billion-dollar damages
North Carolina and South Carolina have dealt with three catastrophic floods from tropical systems in the past nine years, all causing more than $1 billion in damage.
In 2015, flooding rains fed by moisture as Hurricane Joaquin passed well offshore caused massive flooding that nearly knocked Columbia's water system offline.
In 2016, flooding from Hurricane Matthew caused 24 deaths in the two states and rivers set record crests. Those records were broken in 2018 with Hurricane Florence, which set rainfall records in both Carolinas, flooded many of the same places and was responsible for 42 deaths in North Carolina and nine in South Carolina.