Debby will pay a visit to Central New York on Friday, bringing with it 2 to 4 inches of rain — or even more — the National Weather Service announced Wednesday.
What is now a tropical storm was in the western Atlantic Ocean Wednesday, strengthening before it was expected to turn north toward South Carolina for a second landfall. It brings to the Carolinas the threat of both rain and tornadoes in the coastal sections, spreading into Virginia.
As it comes north, the weather service reports it will meet an approaching cold front, leading to heavy rain Friday and Friday night. The track remains uncertain, but that much rain brings the chance of flash flooding and river flooding Friday and Saturday. That follows recent heavy rains — more than 3 inches in the greater Cortland area so far this month — increasing the risk of floods.
Debby has dropped more than a foot of rain in some places, and could dump up to 25 inches by the time it ends. North Carolina and Virginia have both declared a state of emergency.
Debby’s center Wednesday morning was about 90 miles east of Savannah, according to a bulletin from the National Hurricane Center. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was heading east at 5 mph.
“Tropical cyclones always produce heavy rain, but normally as they’re moving, you know, it doesn’t accumulate that much in one place,” said Richard Pasch, of the hurricane center. “But when they move very slowly, that’s the worst situation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
