Nearly all of Florida’s west coast is under either a Tropical storm watch or warning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its 5 p.m. EDT advisory. A storm surge watch has also been issued for most of that area.
Tropical storm warnings—indicating tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area within 36 hours—are now in effect for a stretch of southwest Florida from East Cape Sable to Boca Grande, including Port Charlotte and Fort Myers.
A tropical storm watch, indicating possible tropical storm conditions in the watch area generally within 48 hours, is in effect for the lower Florida Keys south of the Card Sound Bridge, Dry Tortugas National Park, and the Florida coast north of Boca Grande to the mouth of the Suwannee River.
The National Weather Service defines a tropical storm as boasting winds of between 39 and 73 mph. The “Potential Tropical Cyclone Four” recorded sustained winds of 30 mph as of 5 p.m., and the advisory forecasts that it will become “Tropical Storm Debby” by Aug. 4.
It is making its way to the Gulf of Mexico via Cuba and appears to have slowed down during the day.
The chances of tropical cyclone formation in the next 48 hours are now at 80 percent.
A storm surge watch was also issued for the stretch of Florida’s west coast from Bonita Beach to the Suwannee River, which includes Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
Two to four feet of storm surge is expected in those areas.
A storm surge of one to three feet is expected for the area from Card Sound Bridge to Bonita Beach.
The NHC still expects the storm to produce four to eight inches of rainfall across portions of Florida and the southeast United States, starting this weekend and continuing through the morning of Aug. 7, with some areas expected to see up to 12 inches of rainfall. The NHC warns that the rainfall could result in flash and urban flooding as well as river flooding.
The storm’s potential track has shifted slightly to the west, and the cone of uncertainty is centered slightly further north along the natural coast.
Its maximum sustained winds are now expected to exceed 50 mph around 2 p.m. on Aug. 4, when the storm is now anticipated to be in the vicinity of Tampa Bay.
The NHC predicts this storm’s strength to peak at 63 mph sustained winds on Aug. 5, just as it could make landfall in the area of nature coast and big bend area. After arriving in North Florida, it will proceed northeast, traveling along the coastal areas of Georgia and the Carolinas.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for more than 50 counties on Aug. 1. Those counties include everyone located on the Gulf Coast and the Panhandle.
The governor’s office announced several storm preparation updates on Aug. 2.
Florida’s Division of Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Operation Center to level one and is now leading coordination efforts.
Approximately 3,000 Florida National Guard Members are readying for response efforts, and the Florida State Guard activated 70 members for response and recovery support, nine shallow water vessels, 10 UTVs, two amphibious rescue vehicles, and seven search-and-rescue crews.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are making their respective preparations for rapid response operations. The FWC also issued warnings to boat owners to secure their watercraft in anticipation of the extreme weather.
The Florida Department of Transportation is working with the Emergency Operations Center to make preparations. Those preparations include analyzing flood vulnerabilities, securing construction sites, and replenishing fuel reserves.
Several other departments and officials have begun preparations for the storm, from Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office activating the Florida price gouging hotline to accept to the Florida Department of Health staging 90 ambulances to support emergency evacuations throughout the state.
