With a second landfall expected in the Carolinas late Wednesday night, Tropical Storm Debby is expected to bring a flooding risk to New England by Friday, according to AccuWeather.
Forecasters warned that Debby could evolve from a “slow-moving tropical storm to a fast-moving rainmaker that will unleash flooding rainfall along its 1,000-mile-long path from the Southeast through New England,” the company said in a statement.
Debby’s impact on New England might not be felt until between Thursday and Friday.AccuWeather
“The ground is incredibly saturated right now,” AccuWeather Lead Hurrican Expert Alex DaSilva said in the statement. “It will take only about 1.5 to 2.5 inches of additional rainfall from Debby in some of the areas to cause flash flooding. We’re forecasting a widespread area of 2 to 4 inches and a band of 4 to 8 inches of rainfall.”
The eye of the storm is expected to cross over the South Carolina coast by 11 p.m. on Wednesday, then enter central North Carolina by 8 p.m. on Thursday, the statement read. The Debby could make a northwest turn” and intensify, posing a risk of life-threatening and historic flooding int he Southeast, DaSilva said.
The eye of Tropical Storm Debby is not expected to be over any part of southern New England, but it does not change the flooding risk.AccuWeather
Debby is then expected to pick up speed between Thursday and Friday as she heads north toward New England, the company’s statement said. Forecasters predict a region from Virginia through Pennsylvania and into upstate New York and Vermont that could see between 4 and 8 inches of rain.
“AccuWeather expert meteorologists have issued a high risk to lives and property in a zone that stretches across parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont,” the statement read.
Most of Massachusetts could see between 2 and 4 inches of rain.AccuWeather
As seen in an AccuWeather map, this region includes the westernmost end of western Massachusetts. The rest of the interior and the Bay State’s coast could see between 2 and 4 inches of rain.
Along with rain and flooding, AccuWeather anticipates a tornado risk along most of the East Coast, from North Carolina to New York and Vermont’s border with Canada. This risk extends to east of Worcester, but not as far as Boston or the rest of eastern Massachusetts.
States at risk of seeing tornadoes after Tropical Storm Debby makes her second landfall.AccuWeather
Wind gusts in New England as a result of Debby could be between 40 and 60 mph, and could last through Sunday, according to AccuWeather.
Between Thursday and Saturday, AccuWeather predicted that 5,100 flights are expected to be canceled due to Debby.
