Florida
Hurricane Debby hits Florida’s Big Bend, catastrophic flooding likely this week
After lashing the west coast of Florida all day Sunday with gusty winds, tropical downpours, and damaging storm surge, the eye of Hurricane Debby came ashore around daybreak Monday near Steinhatchee in Florida’s Big Bend, only 9 miles southeast of where Category 3 Hurricane Idalia came ashore just 341 days ago.
Though officially a Category 1 hurricane at landfall with sustained 80 mph winds, the hurricane brought Category 2 wind gusts to 98 mph Monday morning to nearby Horseshoe Beach as its center approached the coast. Moderate coastal flooding was ongoing at Cedar Key, about 50 miles southeast of Debby’s center, where a 6-foot storm surge coincided with the day’s lowest high tide.
To the west over the state capital of Tallahassee, winds gusted to 39 mph but Debby, like Idalia last August, spared the panhandle’s largest population center the brunt of its damaging weather.
Debby largely tracked east of the official forecast during the day yesterday, favoring the right side of the forecast cone from yesterday morning.
So far, Perry, Florida, to Debby’s west has picked up over half a foot of rain since late Sunday night and Debby’s blistering outer rainbands brought nearly a foot of rain to portions of the western peninsula during the day Sunday, including areas near Lakeland, Pinellas Park and Sarasota-Bradenton.
Farther south, Debby’s strong onshore flow contributed to a 2-to-4-foot storm surge Sunday afternoon that flooded some low-lying coastal locations in southwest Florida, including parts of downtown Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach.
The worst of Debby is yet to come
The biggest concern as Debby moves inland is the major slowdown anticipated by tomorrow, as steering currents collapse, leaving the storm to rain itself out over parts of north Florida, southeast Georgia, and the coastal plain of South Carolina for the remainder of the week.
This is expected to bring up to 30 inches of rainfall to some places – historically high totals that could break state rainfall records in South Carolina and Georgia – and will likely contribute to widespread and potentially catastrophic flooding this week.
The Weather Prediction Center has issued a high risk for excessive rainfall from tomorrow through Thursday morning stretching from north Florida into the coastal Carolinas, indicating the likelihood of severe and widespread flooding. While high risk rainfall outlooks are only issued for about 4% of days, they account for 80% of flood-related damages and more than a third of all flood-related fatalities.
What we’re following behind Debby
Beryl and Debby may only be the warm-up acts for the busy stretch of hurricane season ahead. As Colorado State University hurricane expert Dr. Phil Klotzbach noted, only 8 other hurricane seasons have observed two U.S. landfalling hurricanes this early in the season: 2020, 2005, 1959, 1936, 1934, 1916, 1909, and 1886, with most of these seasons especially destructive and impactful for the United States.
This week, we’re following a strong tropical disturbance now entering the eastern Caribbean. The system will be moving quickly through the Caribbean over the next few days, but models indicate possible development once it slows down later this week and into the weekend over the western Caribbean and southern Gulf of Mexico.
For now at least, steering patterns favor a trajectory to the south of South Florida and toward the western Gulf, but we’ll continue to monitor its progress. We still have some time to watch this one.
Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A former Florida juvenile probation officer is facing more than 100 felony charges after investigators said she leaked confidential court and law enforcement information to people tied to a drug trafficking investigation.
Crystal Gaynell Ann Lawson was booked into the Orange County Jail on Thursday, according to Orange County Corrections records.
Investigators said Lawson improperly accessed the Comprehensive Case Information System, or CCIS, more than 100 times and shared information from active criminal cases with members of a drug trafficking organization.
FOX 35 Orlando reported Lawson was arrested on 113 felony counts of computer crimes for unauthorized access. Investigators said she allegedly accessed the database 106 times between January and May.
Lawson is accused of using the database to search for active criminal cases tied to members of the organization. Authorities said some of the information that was leaked included arrest warrants and documents connected to an active investigation.
Lawson was hired by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in February 2022. As part of that job, she was given access to the CCIS database. Authorities said she was fired later that year after an arrest, but her database access was not terminated.
See also: ‘Elf,’ ‘Couples Retreat’ actor jailed with no bond after Florida arrest
Investigators said the leaks resulted in lost evidence, unrecovered assets and at least one person fleeing to avoid arrest before later being taken into custody.
Lawson previously worked for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, where she had access to the court information system as part of her job. Authorities said she was later fired, but her database access was not terminated.
Orange County Corrections records list Lawson’s case status as “presentenced” and show multiple entries for “offense against computer users.”
The records list the arresting agency as the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and show bond amounts of $10,000 on several listed case sequences. The jail record also notes an “ICJIS Affidavit.”
ORLANDO, Fla. – Strong thunderstorms continue to push across Central Florida Thursday evening, with a few storms capable of producing gusty winds, frequent lightning, torrential rainfall and isolated damage before activity gradually winds down later tonight.
The strongest storms are expected through about 10 p.m., with most of the activity weakening and moving offshore by around 11 p.m. Storms are being fueled by sea breeze collisions and abundant moisture across the state. In addition to strong wind gusts, torrential downpours could lead to ponding of water on roads and minor flooding in low-lying and poor-drainage areas.
While storms remain the immediate concern this evening, another round of impactful weather is expected Friday.
The News 6 Weather Team has designated Friday as a Weather Aware Day due to the combination of dangerous heat and the threat for strong to severe thunderstorms.
Before storms develop, temperatures will climb into the low to mid-90s Friday afternoon. Combined with high humidity, it will feel more like 102 to 107 degrees across much of Central Florida. Some locations could once again approach or exceed Heat Advisory criteria.
Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop during the afternoon and evening hours. The atmosphere will be loaded with tropical moisture, allowing storms to produce frequent lightning, damaging wind gusts, and torrential rainfall.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed all of Central Florida under a Level 1 out of 5 risk for severe weather Friday. While widespread severe weather is not expected, a few storms could become strong enough to produce damaging winds.
In addition, the Weather Prediction Center has highlighted portions of Central Florida for a Level 1 out of 4 risk of excessive rainfall. Any storm will be capable of producing very heavy rain in a short amount of time, which could lead to localized flooding.
The unsettled pattern continues into the weekend. Storm coverage is expected to increase Saturday, and some locations could see multiple rounds of heavy rain. While a few stronger storms remain possible, the flooding threat may become a greater concern by Saturday afternoon and evening.
Looking ahead to next week, rain chances are expected to gradually decrease, but the heat is not going anywhere. High temperatures will remain in the low to mid-90s, with heat index values frequently climbing above 100 degrees. Forecast guidance suggests a higher heat risk could develop once again across Central Florida as we head deeper into next week.
At the beaches, a moderate risk of rip currents continues. Make sure you swim near a lifeguard if you’re heading to the beach.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)— A Florida mental health counselor walked into a surprising number of bats inside her office last week.
“We had about 50 bats. In the toilet, in the sink. All over,” Shaltala Boss, a licensed mental health counselor, said.
Boss has since moved her office due to maternity season, when it is illegal to exclude or remove bats from April 16 to August 14, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Any form of eviction during this time period will result in baby bats being trapped along with adult bats that may not have emerged. Trapped bats will attempt to escape and may end up in the living space of buildings,” FWC said.
Video provided by Boss showed a bat lying on the ground.
“You definitely didn’t want to come to counseling that day,” Boss said.
Boss has since moved to another location and said it is bat-free.
“Most bats will avoid humans at all costs and use natural roosting structures for shelter during the day. However, bats sometimes find their way into our homes and structures, which can present a health hazard,” FWC said.
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