After battering the southeastern U.S., remnants of Debby began barreling through the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Friday, threatening the region with dangerous flooding and possible tornadoes as major airports grounded flights and officials began water rescues.
Debby, now a post-tropical cyclone, was set to drench northern Virginia and Upstate New York in up to 6 inches of rain before dumping several inches over northern New England as well as the coastal Carolinas, continuing its devastating deluge there. Forecasters say they anticipate “considerable to locally catastrophic flooding” from the Carolinas to the Mid-Atlantic.
Tornado watches Friday morning stretched from North Carolina to Upstate New York, and were active in cities including Newark, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The weather advisories are not set to expire until at least 2 p.m.
In New York City, the state’s Department of Emergency Management issued a travel advisory, warning of 1 to 2 inches of rain as well as potential flash flooding, damaging winds and “brief tornadoes.”
After Debby’s remnants diminish and move out of the Northeast early this weekend, a continued threat of flooding will remain as floodwaters empty into swollen waterways, the weather service said.
Since Monday, when Debby made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, the storm has plunged entire communities under water, triggered water rescues, spawned tornadoes, flattened homes and led to the deaths of at least seven people across North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Developments:
∎ A flash flood warning has been issued for Washington D.C. and will remain active until at least 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. “Turn around, don’t drown! If you’re walking or driving toward a flooded road, find another route,” said the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
∎ Overnight, the weather service received reports of at least three possible tornadoes in the Mid-Atlantic region: one in New Castle, Delaware, and the others in Caroline and Stafford, Virginia. Crews with the weather service will inspect the damage to determine whether tornadoes had touched down.
∎ The Maryland Department of Emergency Management on Friday morning issued a flash flood advisory for Montgomery County, Maryland, just north of Washington D.C.
∎ Officials warned residents to plan ahead as rainfall across the Mid-Atlantic Friday morning is expected to snarl traffic and cause headaches for commuters.
Emergency crews begin water rescues in Virginia amid downpour
Officials in Green County, Virginia, said water rescues began early Friday as remnants of Debby continued its deluge, soaking roads and bridges under several inches of floodwater.
“Please refrain from travel if possible – specifically in the Stanardsville District – where flooded roadways and bridges are an issue,” said a statement released at 6 a.m. by officials in Green County, 90 miles northwest of Richmond.
Roads across the state were closed as low-lying and coastal areas flooded and rivers crested. Torrential downpours continued across Virginia on Friday after starting up a day earlier, when Debby inched up from North Carolina. Within the last 24 hours, up to 8 inches of rain fell across parts of Virginia, according to the weather service.
Flights grounded at major airports in NYC, Washington D.C.
Flights at multiple major airports across the Northeast were grounded and delayed as the remnants of Debby moved over the region.
The Federal Aviation Administration said groundstops were issued at New York City’s LaGuardia International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Meanwhile, departing flights were being delayed at John F. Kennedy Airport and Newark International, according to the FAA.
Where is Debby?
Debby was 110 miles north of Danville, Virginia, and 165 miles north of Raleigh, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 5 a.m. update.
The storm was moving at 35 mph and had maximum sustained winds of 30 mph, according to the hurricane center. Through most of the week, the storm moved at a slow pace in the single digits, dropping as low as 4 and 5 mph while it dumped over a foot of rain from Florida to North Carolina.
Over 100,000 without power in the East; Ohio has nearly 200,000 outages
In the eastern U.S., more than 100,000 homes and businesses were in the dark early Friday as Debby barreled across the Mid-Atlantic region and officials struggled to restore power across Ohio, where nearly 200,000 utility customers remain without power.
The most outages along the eastern U.S. were in Virginia, where some 38,000 utility customers were without power, according to Poweroutage.us. North Carolina reported 18,000 outages, while Maryland and Pennsylvania both reported over 15,000 power outages.
Meanwhile, in Ohio, more than 190,000 homes and businesses were without power after storms broke out across the state on Tuesday, spawning tornadoes, damaging property and, at its peak, over 300,000 outages.
