By Sam Walker of SamWalkerOBXnews.com
The fourth tropical cyclone of 2024 could be headed our way around the middle of next week, but there is still a lot to be sorted out over the weekend about what is expected to become Tropical Storm Debby.
Heavy rain, flooding and rip currents are the main threats as of now, according to an advisory from the National Weather Service. In addition, impacts to northeastern North Carolina may last a few days especially if the potential storm slows down or even stalls near the area. Regardless of storm intensity, heavy rain is possible.
“This potential cyclone has significant uncertainty in the track and intensity,” Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson said in an email on Friday. “Even with that uncertainty, it’s never too soon to start preparing just in case.”
The National Hurricane Center began issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone Four earlier in the day as it made it was across Cuba.
Current forecasts have it becoming a tropical depression on Saturday morning as it emerges into the Gulf of Mexico, passes through the Florida Straits, and then heads towards a landfall along the west coast of Florida as Tropical Storm Debby on Sunday.
It is then expected to cross southern Georgia and emerge in the Atlantic Ocean and crawl along the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts the first half of next week.
Tropical storm conditions of sustained winds above 35 mph and heavy rainfall could arrive along the Outer Banks and in eastern North Carolina as early as Tuesday morning, but more likely it will be Tuesday evening when the weather starts to deteriorate.
The National Weather Service emphasized that heavy rain, flooding and rip currents are the main threats as of now.
“In addition, our impacts may last a few days especially if the potential storm slows down or even stalls near our area,” said forecasters at the Newport/Morehead City weather office.
Those with plans on the Outer Banks for the week ahead are advised to keep an eye on the forecast, as the system is still in its developmental phase.
If it remains just a tropical storm, past history shows that evacuations are unlikely.
But there could be impacts to ferry services to and from Ocracoke Island, and high surf could cause travel issues along N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke.
Beachgoers should be aware that surf conditions will likely become too rough for ocean swimming, with numerous deadly rip currents and strong shore break.
“Now’s the time to review plans and update supplies,” Pearson said. “It’s also the time to keep an eye out for updates from trusted sources like the National Hurricane Center and our local National Weather Service office.”
The latest information is available on the NWS local tropical page: https://www.weather.gov/mhx/tropical or the National Hurricane Center.
