Tropical Storm Debby Strengthens Into a Category 1 Hurricane as it Heads Toward Florida

Tampa: Tropical Storm Debby has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches Florida.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said on Sunday evening that the storm has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). The storm was located about 100 miles west southwest of Tampa and it was moving north at 12 mph (19 kph).

Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.

Forecasters warn that heavy amounts of rain from Debby could spawn catastrophic flooding in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.