Live updates: Macon can expect heavy rain from Tropical Storm Debby. Check here for impact

9:30 p.m.: UPI reports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who declared a state emergency in 61 of 67 counties on Thursday, said damage assessment teams will be in the field Tuesday.

Debby “did not bring the catastrophic hurricane-force winds that we’ve seen in previous storms like Hurricane Ian and Michael, but it has and continues to produce lots of water,” DeSantis said at the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

“We are going to see flooding, particularly in the northern part of the state, (so) be very careful. Don’t go out into flood waters. There can be hazards, debris and downed electrical cables. Please do not go driving if roads are underwater.”

6:20 p.m.: Several deaths outside Middle Georgia are being reported from Debby.

UPI reported at least four people have died as Debby moved across Florida and Georgia.

At about 8 a.m., EDT Monday, a tree fell on a mobile Home in Florida’s Levy County, killing a 13-year-old boy who was hunkered down inside with his family, UPI reported. The county’s sheriff’s department said the boy was crushed by the tree that severely damaged the home.

Two people, a 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, died Sunday night in Dixie County after the vehicle they were in overturned on U.S.19 while driving through heavy rain produced by Debby. A 14-year-old boy was transported to the University of Florida Health with serious injuries.

As Debby slows down, UPI reported, it is expected to bring heavy flooding from heavy rain in Florida and Georgia on Monday with some forecasts predicting up to 20 inches in Savannah, Ga.

4:41 p.m.: Tropical Storm Debby keeps Valdosta and Savannah out of power as it continues moving northeast at 7 mph. Macon will likely start feeling Debby’s rainfall at around 5:15 p.m., according to The Weather Channel.

Valdosta has 48,909 customers with no power, according to numbers from Georgia Power and Georgia EMC. They also say that Savannah has 3,322 customers with no power.

As of Monday afternoon, less than five Macon customers have been affected by the outage, according to Georgia Power. Georgia EMC says that 88 Middle Georgia customers are without power Monday afternoon.

2:27 p.m.: The number of outages in South Georgia increases as the eye of Tropical Storm Debby inches closer. While Macon has already been reporting outages, Georgia Power’s outage map reports that Atlanta has started to experience outages as well.

Around 45,080 South Georgians are experiencing outages, according to numbers from Georgia Power and the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation. They also say that 1,247 customers in metro Atlanta are experiencing outages.

Macon has a total of 44 customers experiencing outages, which is expected to be restored at around 4:15 p.m., according to Georgia Power.

Tropical Storm Debby’s winds are slightly weaker at 65 mph, ten miles northwest of Live Oak, Florida. The storm is expected to hit Savannah at 8 a.m. with winds going 45 mph.

1:47 p.m.: How bad could the rains be for South Georgia from Debby?

Newsweek says “the sheer amount of rain due to fall in some parts by Friday may be unprecedented. The director of the National Hurricane Center, Michael Brennan, warned Georgia and South Carolina to prepare for potentially ‘record-breaking rainfall’ of up to 30 inches.”

“There’s some really amazing rainfall totals being forecast—and amazing in a bad way,” Brennan said. “That would be record-breaking rainfall associated with a tropical cyclone for both the states of Georgia and South Carolina if we got up to the 30-inch level.”

According to U.S. Climate Data, Newsweek said, Savannah, Georgia, receives 47.96 inches of rain per year on average. That means the city could be lashed by more than half a year’s rainfall within just a few days.

1:03 p.m.: Hotels and motels around Macon have not yet seen a large influx of people evacuating from South Georgia and Florida in response to Hurricane Debby. Hotel staff members said that they expected a few more people than normal to arrive later today and noted that some people have decided to extend their stays in response to the weather.

Additionally, some counties in South Georgia are experiencing major outages, especially Valdosta where 6,572 customers are currently without power, according to Georgia Power’s outage map.

Blackshear reports 500 customers affected by outages, while Homerville reports that 1,122 customers have been affected.

12:39 p.m.: With winds at 70 mph, the eye of Hurricane Debby is 35 miles west of Lake City, Florida, with Savannah and Albany already receiving heavy amounts of rain.

Meanwhile, Bibb County Schools said on Sunday that they’ll be monitoring the weather conditions and are not expecting any changes to school schedules due to Debby.

Noon: Macon emergency officials say rain will be a big problem for Middle Georgia.

“Our biggest impact, at the moment, appears to be the heavy rain and potential for flash flooding,” said EMA Director Spencer Hawkins. “We’ll be talking with the Macon Water Authority today about how we can support their efforts in that area.”

Roughly 2 inches to 4 inches of rain is forecast in Middle Georgia for Debby Monday, and up to 7 inches by Thursday.

Meanwhile, Georgia Power says it is preparing for the inevitable power outages.

The company has mobilized restoration teams as Debby begins to move into Georgia. In a statement, the company said while the exact track and intensity of the hurricane are still uncertain, the company has resources in place and will adjust its plans as the hurricane nears the state to ensure a safe and effective response.

11:35 a.m.: Hurricane Debbie has weakened to tropical storm status, according to the New York Times.

The Times reports the storm’s winds are just below 74 mph.

“The storm’s forward momentum is slowing down even more, to about 8 miles per hour, exacerbating the amount of rain that will fall over the same areas,” The Times wrote.

11:00 a.m.: “You may hear from varying sources that the storm is expected to weaken,” a Monday post from Houston County EMA reads. “However, this does not mean that we are in the clear. The main threat for our area will be the exceptional rainfall expected.”

With 5 to 10 inches of rain expected locally, the saturated soils will make trees significantly more prone to falling, according to the post. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph are expected.

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 1:03 PM.