Tropical Storm Debby Makes Second Landfall Early Thursday in South Carolina
Alexis Thornton
Last monthIt has been another busy few days of severe weather across the U.S., including a second landfall of a tropical storm, a glacier outburst in Alaska, and earthquakes rattling portions of Southern California. On the other side of the world, a 7.1 earthquake in Japan prompted a tsunami warning. Here is a look at the severe weather events impacting the U.S. from coast to coast as well as across the world.
Tropical Storm Debby Makes Second Landfall in South Carolina
As predicted by hurricane experts, Tropical Storm Debby made a second landfall early Thursday in South Carolina. The storm came on shore near Bulls Bay, about 20 miles to the northeast of Charleston just prior to 2 am. Debby was packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as it tracked inland at a slow speed of 5 mph. The crawl of the system has translated to ongoing flooding concerns as immense moisture continues to fall over the water-logged coastal region.
Deadly tornadoes spun up on the northern flank of the storm late Wednesday. One twister in Wilson County, North Carolina claimed the life of a man when his home in the town of Lucama collapsed on him. The tornado tore a destructive path through the town, damaging a middle school, a church, and several homes. Tornadic activity was also reported in the North Carolina town of Harrells in Sampson County and near Maple Hill in Pender County.
The state of North Carolina has recorded rainfall of nearly a foot in some areas. While this is certainly a good deal of moisture, it pales in comparison to the over 20 inches of rain that fell in the hardest-hit parts of Florida earlier in the week when Debby made its first landfall as a Category 1 hurricane.
The heavy rain also unleashed across portions of South Carolina and Georgia. The Canoochee River running near Claxton, Georgia recorded a record high level of 17.80 feet on Wednesday afternoon. In addition, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Charleston is warning that a dam in Bulloch County, Georgia is in danger of experiencing imminent failure due to the heavy rain. A break in the dam would result in severe flooding for communities located downstream of the structure.
At least 133,000 customers are without power in North Carolina as of early Thursday. Unfortunately for those without air conditioning, the weather forecast is calling for rising temperatures in the wake of Debby. The hot temperatures are expected to linger through the weekend as residents continue to clean up from the storm. The increasing humidity levels will present the most danger when combined with the heat.
The feature remains a tropical storm as of the middle of the day Thursday, however, it is expected to continue to lose steam and be downgraded to a tropical rainstorm as it pushes farther inland. The intense weather maker is forecast to move to the north and into the eastern U.S., triggering flooding rainfall, flash flooding, and isolated tornadoes. A large portion of the busy Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast is at risk of flooding concerns through the weekend.