Meteorologists have stated that Tropical Storm Debby is expected to cause rainfall and wave height increases as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico today, Sunday, and heads north along the coast of Florida before making landfall as a "life-threatening" hurricane on Monday. Jimmy Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center in the United States, noted, "It is becoming increasingly clear that Debby will strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall," and urged residents to comply with evacuation orders.
The center reported that following several days of widespread weather disturbances in the Atlantic, a tropical storm named "Debby" was recorded yesterday, Saturday, which left the northern coast of Cuba last night and reached an area about 160 kilometers west-southwest of Key West, Florida. The storm is moving at a speed of approximately 23 kilometers per hour toward the Gulf coast, about 390 kilometers southwest of Tampa, Florida, where it is expected to increase its speed to between 73 and 113 kilometers per hour or more as it intensifies into a hurricane by this evening.
The National Hurricane Center stated in its report, "This is a life-threatening situation." Rhome mentioned, "There are a range of risks, not just from the winds." The center warned of wave heights due to the storm reaching two meters in one area along the Florida coastline. It is expected that Hurricane Debby will lose some strength after making landfall, but it will cause heavy rainfall as it moves through central Florida and continues toward the Atlantic coast.
