Debby updates: Flash flooding, tornadoes target DC, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast

Debby will exit the Northeast on Saturday.

ByBill Hutchinson, Kevin Shalvey, Emily Shapiro, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: August 5, 2024, 6:37 PM EDT

Debby, which weakened from a tropical storm to a tropical depression Thursday afternoon, is slamming the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast with heavy rain on Friday.

Debby made landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday and crawled up the East Coast all week.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Aug 09, 2024, 3:30 PM EDT

Latest forecast

Debby, now a post-tropical cyclone, is slamming the Northeast with heavy rain.

A life-threatening flash flood emergency was issued in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York due to fast-moving floodwaters.

A flood watch remains in effect for parts of nine states from South Carolina to New Hampshire due to the intense rain.

Showers with some downpours will continue across the Northeast through the evening. Tornadoes are also possible.

Debby will be gone by Saturday morning.

Aug 05, 2024, 6:37 PM EDT

Curfew set for Charleston, South Carolina

A curfew will go into effect overnight for Charleston, South Carolina, due to Debby, city officials said Monday.

Thoroughfares leading into the peninsula will be closed from 11 p.m. ET Monday to noon ET Tuesday, the city said, as the region braces for potential impacts such as tropical storm-force winds, heavy rain and isolated tornadoes.

"We urge everybody to stay inside, stay indoors and do not travel," Charleston Mayor William Cogswell said at a press briefing Monday evening.

Aug 05, 2024, 5:53 PM EDT

Biden approves emergency declaration request from South Carolina

President Joe Biden has approved a request from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster for an emergency declaration in the state due to Debby, the White House said.

The declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to mobilize and provide equipment and resources necessary.

"The President continues to urge residents to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of State and local officials," the White House said in a statement.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

Aug 05, 2024, 5:47 PM EDT

North Carolina governor declares state of emergency

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency ahead of severe weather, including life-threatening flash flooding, expected across the state due to Debby.

"This weather has the potential to bring intense rain and flooding to North Carolina and we are preparing for it," Cooper said in a statement. "As the weather becomes more severe, I urge everyone to take precautions and stay safe."

The emergency declaration will allow for the state to mobilize resources to respond to the storm.

Aug 05, 2024, 5:30 PM EDT

Tropical Storm Debby slowing down as it moves across US

Tropical Storm Debby continues to weaken and slow down in forward speed as the center moves near the Florida-Georgia state line as of 5 p.m. ET.

PHOTO: Flood alerts.
ABC News

Maximum sustained winds are down to 50 mph, and Debby is moving to the northeast at 6 mph. The center is currently about 30 miles southeast of Valdosta, Georgia.

As of Monday afternoon, all tropical weather and storm surge alerts have been canceled across Florida's Gulf Coast as conditions improve across much of the state.

Debby will move across southeastern Georgia through Monday evening, with the worst impacts focused there and into the Jacksonville, Florida, area. Heavy rain continues to overspread southern South Carolina as well.

-ABC News meteorologist Daniel Peck

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