Florida’s governor declared 54 of Florida’s 67 counties under a state of emergency.
Gov. Ron DeSantis put numerous Florida counties in a state of emergency in preparation for the potential landfall of a storm that could become the first “significant threat” to the state in what is expected to be a violent hurricane season.
“Based on meteorological reports, there is a significant threat of heavy rainfall over most of the State of Florida, with the possibility of at least 12 inches of rainfall over the next seven days,” reads the Thursday evening executive order. “The water tables in the affected areas are already nearing peak capacity and incoming heavy rainfall will cause significant river flooding that may last for several weeks.”
The counties under a state of emergency: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.
In a Thursday afternoon advisory, the National Hurricane Center said there’s a 70% chance that a well-defined tropical wave — designated Invest 97L — could develop into a tropical depression in the week near Florida or over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The NHC said there’s a 30% chance it develops in the next 48 hours.
If the storm does develop into a tropical depression and reaches sustained windspeeds of 39 mph, it will become Tropical Storm Debby.