Live updates: Hurricane Debby strengthens to Category 1 storm ahead of Florida landfall

As Hurricane Debby slowly moves up the Georgia and Carolina coast heading into the new week, it could bring seemingly endless amounts of rain for days, with totals potentially exceeding 2 feet.

The heaviest rainfall amounts could even top 30 inches or more depending on how long Debby is around, and some forecast models show the storm could persist through at least Thursday.

The cities of Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, could be drenched with a month’s worth of rain in a single day, and perhaps even an entire summer’s worth of rain over the course of the storm.

Potentially historic: Such exceptional rainfall would challenge state records for rainfall from a tropical cyclone: In Georgia, the record is 27.85 inches from Alberto in 1994, while South Carolina’s record is 23.63 inches from Florence in 2018.

With an increase in predicted intensity comes an increase in forecast Storm surge, which occurs when ocean water is pushed inland by a hurricane’s onshore winds. Storm surge flooding could reach 6 to 10 feet along Florida’s Big Bend, and the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina could reach surges of 2 to 4 feet.

The role of climate change: A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and can lead to heavier rainfall. Warmer oceans can lead to stronger hurricanes, with increased force and storm surges due to rising sea levels.

Warmer air and ocean temperatures driven by human-induced climate change may result in wetter tropical systems.

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