Monday updates: 4 Florida deaths attributed to Tropical Storm Debby

Our live updates for Hurricane Debby have concluded.

Hurricane Debby was downgraded to a tropical storm Monday, but forecasters said the weakened Debby could bring historic flooding to the Southeast U.S., while surge along Florida’s gulf coast remained a threat.

The storm brought heavy rains to Florida’s west coast before making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane about about 5 miles west of Steinhatchee about 7 a.m. Monday.

After Debby has skirted past Tampa Bay, parts of the region remained under flood watches Monday evening. Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier in the day that four deaths, including one in Hillsborough County had been attributed to the storm.

The storm prompted widespread flight cancellations on Monday. Power was restored to thousands in the Tampa Bay region, but thousands remained without power by Monday evening. Dispatches from local neighborhoods showed waterlogged cars, boats washed ashore and streets flooded.

9:25: Sunshine Skyway Bridge reopens

The Florida Highway Patrol announced in a news release at 9:18 p.m. that the Sunshine Skyway Bridge has re-opened after it was closed because of high winds. — Chris Tisch

6:47 p.m.: Tampa Bay region eyeing flood threat for Tuesday

For the umpteenth consecutive hurricane, the Tampa Bay region was spared the worst of a major system. But Debby remains a danger. Its wind largely spared Tampa Bay. Would its water?

The Little Manatee and Alafia rivers in Hillsborough were expected to reach the “major” flood stage Tuesday and remain elevated throughout the week, forecasters with the National Weather Service warned. The waters of the Withlacoochee in Pasco were expected to rise as well, flooding by Thursday.

More details here. — Kirby Wilson

6:20 p.m.: Hundreds of calls to St. Pete firefighters

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue responded to over 320 calls overnight Sunday and Monday, according to a news release from the city. Some firefighters have been deployed to Levy County to assist with damage from Hurricane Debby.

All power for traffic lights have been restored in St. Petersburg but city golf courses will be closed Tuesday. — Colleen Wright

6:01 p.m.: Gulfport Police find body on missing man’s boat

Gulfport police say a body was found late today just hours after a member of the city’s local boating community, Brian Clough, was reported missing.

Another boater saw Clough’s sailboat partially sunk late Monday morning, according to Gulfport police. He saw that Clough’s dog was on the boat, but there was no sign of Clough, police said.

More details here. — Olivia George

5:58 p.m.: Water rescues in Manatee County

Just south of Tampa Bay, Manatee County officials said intense rain and flooding from Hurricane Debby resulted in authorities conducting 35 water rescues. In a statement late Monday, the county said 186 people had received help.

Officials opened a shelter at Virgil Mills Elementary School in Palmetto. ”The safety of our residents is our top priority, and we are doing everything in our power to respond effectively to this crisis,” Jodie Fiske, Manatee’s public safety director, said in the statement. — Zack Sampson

5:49 p.m.: River rises in southeast Hillsborough

RIVERVIEW — Residents along the Alafia River watched anxiously Monday afternoon as high tide brought floodwaters from Tropical Storm Debby closer to their homes.

The river rose almost five feet above stage level, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, submerging some streets on the south side of the river. A handful of streets that were passable in the morning were submerged by 3 p.m.

After evacuating from Hurricane Idalia last year, Vicki Hampton decided to stay home as Debby approached. Her home is the last house on a small piece of land that juts out into the river about half a mile west of U.S. 301.

Rising waters banged her son’s boat against her boathouse, she said, but that was the only damage.

“It’s just a big mess to clean up in the yard,” she said. “We are river rats and expect this kind of thing sometimes and just accept it for the joy of living on the river.”

NOAA data suggests that Hampton’s stretch of the river may have seen its worst flooding. But that may not be true for the Lithia area. NOAA data projects the river rising to 19 feet above stage level by Tuesday evening. — Christopher O’Donnell

5:05 p.m.: Cocaine washes up on beach

A beachgoer found 25 packages of cocaine washed up on shore in the Florida Keys Sunday, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.

The drugs were located on a beach in the Upper Keys Village of Islamorada, said Adam Hoffner, assistant chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol’s Miami sector, and the drugs had an estimated street value of around $1 million.

More details here. — Associated Press

4:49 p.m.: Gulfport Police search for missing man

Police in Gulfport say they are looking for a man whose sailboat was found partially submerged Monday morning as rough weather from Hurricane Debby moved through the area. Police said another boater saw the man’s sailboat partially sunk.

He saw that the man’s dog was on board, but there was no sign of the man. Police are seeking public’s help finding him. More details here. — Chris Tisch

4:33 p.m.: Tampa Bay residents getting electricity restored

Monday morning, as the Tampa Bay area was still getting hit by the bands of Tropical Storm Debby, about 40,000 people in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties lacked power. But as the day has progressed, more residents saw their lights come back on.

By about 4:30 p.m., that figure had decreased to about 17,000, according to online outage maps maintained by Duke Energy and Tampa Electric. Both electric utilities have said crews are working to repair equipment damaged by the storm.— Emily L. Mahoney

4:04 p.m.: DeSantis says 4 dead in Florida due to Debby

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida “will not even scratch the surface of needing to use what was mobilized” in preparation for Debby, and said thankfully it seems to not have left as much devastation as the last few storms that have hit the state.

”You never want to have a storm but compared to Ian and even Idalia, this one is not leaving the same destruction in its wake,” DeSantis said during an afternoon news conference.

DeSantis said that even though the wind force isn’t as strong, the amount of water the storm dropped on the state can lead to serious hazards. Four people in Florida have died as a result of the storm, DeSantis said.

Two were involved in a traffic accident in Dixie County, a young girl in Levy County died after a tree fell onto her family home and one in Hillsborough County died after an 18-wheeler plunged over road guardrails and into the water.

About 250,000 people in the state are without power, and about 450,000 accounts have been restored since the storm began, DeSantis said. Tomorrow DeSantis said he will tour the debris sites to get an idea of the damage. The state will also set up distribution pods in affected counties, including Jefferson, Taylor and Dixie, which have already asked for assistance. — Romy Ellenbogen

3:47 p.m.: Crews clean up, assess damage in St. Petersburg

On Russell Street S in St. Petersburg, a tree fell Sunday evening, taking a Duke Energy power line with it. The tree shattered the windshield, dented the hood and split the grill of Davia Green’s red Mercury sedan.

Green, 39, reported the incident to Duke Energy. But it was St. Petersburg city crews that responded to clear the road and blow debris off Green’s car with a leafblower. She was paid a personal visit by Mayor Ken Welch, who was greeting cleanup crews Monday around the south side of the city.

“I think he’s awesome,” Green said. “This area needs to be cleaned up. I hope they do something about that.”

Welch said 500 city employees were deployed and assessing the damage left by Hurricane Debby.

“This has really turned out to be a rain event,” he said. “It could’ve been much worse.”

City spokesperson Alizza Punzalan-Randle said crews are just starting to assess flood-prone neighborhoods such as Shore Acres and Riviera Bay and had to wait until flooding receded.

St. Petersburg City Council member Ed Montanari posted on X just after 3 p.m. that standing water is still an issue in Shore Acres, Riviera Bay and Tyrone Boulevard. Childs Park and North Library are closed and without power. He said more damage assessment in low-lying areas will take place after high tide, which peaked around 2:30 to 3 p.m.

Community Enrichment Administrator Mike Jefferis, whose department oversees storm cleanup, said the city received 65 reports of fallen trees through its reporting system, See Click Fix, and from police and first responders. On Ninth Avenue S and Union Street, crews responded to reports that a tree fell on a white picket fence and took down a stop sign. That makes the call a high priority. Crews installed a temporary stop sign on the corner.

Jefferis said his department’s 150 managers and supervisors triage calls and do damage assessment. The “first push” happening Monday is to clear the streets of debris in case of a police or fire emergency. — Colleen Wright

3:37 p.m. Incoming flights to Tampa Bay disrupted

Arriving flights are having no easier of a time landing at Tampa area airports than departing planes are having taking off.

Midday arrivals from cities like Newark, Minneapolis and Atlanta were expected to land between two and five hours behind schedule at Tampa International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration delayed the arrival of flights yesterday and today.

A five-hour ground stop was issued at 8 p.m. last night, said Michele Routh, spokesperson for St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. The ground stop, which was also in effect at Tampa International, required flights bound for Tampa Bay to remain on the ground.

Today, flights crossing into Tampa from the north are delayed by an FAA “flow constrained area.” Planes must fly far around storm activity or they’ll be delayed on the ground by an average of three hours as the FAA regulates traffic along a band of airspace stretching across the northern part of the state. At St. Pete-Clearwater, five flights, including some from Pennsylvania and Ohio, landed in the afternoon. Another four inbound flights were in the air.

Local airports experienced mild flooding. At Tampa International, “non-operational areas of the airfield” flooded yesterday, a spokesperson said. One runway and five taxiways at St. Pete-Clearwater are closed due to standing water, Routh said.

Among departing flights, delays and cancellations continue to rise at Tampa International amid high wind and heavy rain. Almost one-third of flights — 157 — have been canceled, and another third are delayed. St. Pete-Clearwater has had eight flights canceled. Eleven more are scheduled to take off on time today.

”The impact on aviation from this is fairly minimal,” said Michael McCormick, an air traffic management professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “Other hurricanes we’ve seen, we’ve had all flights canceled and it could be multiple days.” — Shauna Muckle

3:24 p.m.: Tampa Mayor said city has avoided most severe impacts

The Tampa Bay region has not a direct hit from a hurricane in more than a century. On Monday afternoon, as Tropical Storm Debby heads northeast, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor was again feeling upbeat.

”While our city did experience some damage from Debby, I am grateful to report that Tampa has once again fared well and avoided severe impacts,” Castor said in a statement. “I urge all residents to stay safe, report any damage, and take necessary precautions to protect their homes and families.”

All traffic lights and city facilities currently have power. No fire incidents related to live wires have been reported, though many fire alarms were triggered by power outages overnight.

Regular trash collection continues, as crews try to navigate flooded streets.

Significant flooding has been observed on Bayshore Boulevard and N Dale Mabry Highway between Hillsborough and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Side streets in the Drew Park area are also inundated, leaving several cars were stuck in high water.

Fire crews successfully rescued a man trapped in his vehicle at Osborne & N Dale Mabry early Monday morning after he attempted to drive through floodwaters, according to a city news release.

All city pools and splash pads are operational except for the fountain at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, where the underground control vault flooded. There are no total closures at any city parks or Parks & Recreation facilities.

— Olivia George

3:22 p.m.: Northbound Howard Frankland reopens

The two inside lanes on the northbound Howard Frankland Bridge reopened Monday afternoon.The two outer lanes will remain closed until further notice due to an eroded barrier and shoulder.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is still closed as well.

— Shauna Muckle

2:50 p.m.: Roads washed out in Wimauma

WIMAUMA - Heavy rains washed out a 15-foot section of road on Grange Hall Loop between Balm and Wimauma in south Hillsborough County overnight.

A pipe under the road may have collapsed or clogged forcing water to wash away road fill, said nearby resident Mike Harrison.

By midafternoon, the hole had become a selfie spot for neighbors. The road is among half a dozen reported by Hillsborough County as either flooded or damaged.

— Christopher O’Donnell

2:20 p.m.: Tampa Riverwalk floods

The Tampa Riverwalk, which curves through downtown along the Hillsborough River, was flooding Monday afternoon from tidal storm surge. City officials are asking people to avoid the area.

The city has received more than 100 self-reported damage assessments amid Tropical Storm Debby, according to spokesperson Adam Smith. Down power lines, flooded roadways, vehicles stuck in water and debris-strewn streets are the most common reported problems. Such impacts can be seen throughout the city, Smith added, though are particularly apparent in South Tampa, West Tampa and Seminole Heights.

City residents and business owners can report non-life threatening property damages here: tampa.gov/SelfReport.

— Olivia George

2:00 p.m.: Storm surge warning lifted in Tampa Bay

In a 2 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center lifted its storm surge warning from Longboat Key to Aripeka, including Tampa Bay.

Forecasters have downgraded the area’s current storm surge estimate to 1-3 feet.

Debby, still a tropical storm, was moving toward the north-northeast at about 7 mph. Forecasters expect the storm to slow more as it turns east and moves into Georgia Monday night.

The storm has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles.

— Jack Prator

1:43 p.m.: Tampa Bay’s rivers near ‘historic levels’

In a 1 p.m. briefing from the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office, forecasters said many local rivers are flooding, with a few approaching record levels.

Hillsborough River’s highest recorded water level is just shy of 35 inches. As runoff continues flowing, the river is expected to climb to more than 33 inches by the end of the week.

Storm surge flooding is ongoing and rising in St. Petersburg, tide gauge data shows. Water levels there peaked early Monday morning at more than 2 ½ feet above the median high water level.

The elevated river levels are expected to last for several days, according to the release.The Tampa Bay area is under flood watch until 8 p.m. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain are still expected to fall, with localized amounts up to 5 inches.

— Jack Prator

12:50 p.m.: Erosion appears minimal at Pass-a-Grille, but could be worse at mid-Pinellas beaches, county says

Pass-a-Grille Beach, which Pinellas County is in the process of renourishing, doesn’t appear badly damaged, said Tony Fabrizio, a county spokesperson, in an email Monday.

Staff who inspected the beach Monday morning estimated that about 5% of the new sand the county has added since June has been drawn back into the Gulf of Mexico by Tropical Storm Debby.

Signs of more significant erosion at Belleair Beach suggest the damage could be worse farther north, Fabrizio said, though weather conditions have prevented county staff from doing a full inspection so far.

”We’re getting pounded by high waves today, so a full extent of the erosion won’t be known for a couple of days,” he said.

—Jack Evans

12:42 p.m.: Images show flooding in Wimauma near the Little Manatee River

— Luis Santana

12:39 p.m.: Duke Energy working to restore power to Pinellas, Pasco

By noon Monday, Duke Energy estimated that it had about 98,000 customers without power statewide, while crews had restored electricity to nearly 171,000 people.

In a news release, the utility said it anticipates it will restore power to 95% of Pinellas and Pasco county customers by midnight. It will take longest for workers to bring power back for customers who experienced “extensive damage or flooding,” the company said.

Duke customers can report outages to the utility online, through the mobile app, by texting OUT to 57801 or by calling 800-228-8485.

— Emily L. Mahoney

12:35 p.m.: Searching for sandals at a Pinellas mobile home community

GANDY — Aside from the occasional crack of thunder, it’s quiet along the main drag of Twin City Mobile Home Park.

Flatbed trucks sloshed through the front gates, splashing wake up against the grass median.

Tammy Boles, 45, trudged through ankle deep water, looking for her lost Reebok sandals. Boles moved to Twin City three months ago, not long before Pinellas County granted residents an extension on a previous order to lift their homes or leave.

She said water levels peaked about 6 a.m. Monday. The surge reached the front stoop of her home.

”It didn’t faze me none. I grew up here,” Boles said.

After a short walk to the nearby 7-Eleven, she planned to collect the debris that litters her yard.

Barefoot, Boles picked up a children’s toy: a pink plastic laptop with faded stickers. It didn’t belong to her grandchildren, who waited out the storm with her Sunday night, she said.

Boles’ mother rode out the storm in a motel near Steinhatchee. She had been trying to get ahold of her all morning. She called again.

By the front gate, a lone purple sandal floated above the murky water.

— Jack Prator

12:26 p.m.: Images show Largo residents scooping water from flooded cars

To see more images from around the bay, check out this photo story.

— Douglas R. Clifford

12:20 p.m.: Rainfall totals around the bay

Earlier this morning, Bay News 9 shared rainfall totals across the bay in a series of posts on the social media site X.

In Hillsborough County, Sun City Center had weathered more than 11 inches of rain, with Ruskin getting 10.5 inches, and 9 inches in Riverview.

Across the bay in Pinellas County, Pinellas Park had gotten around 12 inches of rain as of 10 a.m. Monday. St. Petersburg and Clearwater Beach each got around 10 inches, with Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs seeing rainfall just under 10 inches.

Up north in Pasco County, Bay News 9 reported Elfers saw about 6.5 inches of rain as of 10 a.m. Monday. Port Richey and New Port Richey had about 6.4 inches, respectively.

— Lauren Peace

12:05 p.m.: What we know about Florida Highway Patrol’s decision to close local bridges

By 2 p.m. Sunday, drivers were already slowing down to cross a drenched portion of the northbound Howard Frankland Bridge in Pinellas County. By early evening, white-capped waves were crashing against the outside barrier on the northbound side.

But it wasn’t until water started eroding the outside barrier early Monday morning that officials decided to close dangerous parts of the northbound side: first the outer lane, and then all four lanes, as portions of the shoulder sank into the bay. The northbound side remains closed.

”We try to leave the bridges open as long as we can,” said Sergeant Steve Gaskins, public affairs officer for Florida Highway Patrol.

The sediment that sits below the roadway on the Hillsborough County side had started to wash away by early Monday morning, Gaskins said, leaving asphalt and concrete at risk of collapsing.”

When you see roadways wash out like that, you don’t know how far underneath is being washed out. So we said, alright, out of an abundance of caution, we’re going to shut the whole thing down,” Gaskins said.

It takes time and resources to erect the barricades necessary to shut a major road down, he said.

Additionally, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge has been closed since 10 p.m. Sunday. The bridge will stay closed until wind speeds on the bridge are consistently less than 45 miles per hour, Gaskins said. Around 11 a.m., sustained wind speeds were still more than 50 miles per hour.

The Gandy Bridge and Courtney Campbell Causeway remain open to drivers.

11:57 a.m.: Water levels high in Tampa Bay, data shows

Three gauges in Tampa Bay showed waters rose about 4 feet higher than expected before dawn Monday, reaching a level 2 to 3 feet above a typical high tide. The data indicates surge has receded since then, but the water may not fall until after high tide Monday afternoon.

— Langston Taylor

11:45 a.m.: In Riverview, residents fear the worst is still to come

Residents along the Alafia River close to U.S. 301 awoke Monday morning to submerged boat docks and flooded lanais but homes that were still dry from almost 24 hours of Hurricane Debby rainfall.

But the sight of a swollen river at low tide likely means the worst could be yet to come. The Alafia was almost 5 feet above stage level, classified as moderate flooding, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.

High tide, expected around 2 p.m., and ongoing rain will likely raise floodwaters even higher.

The threat could be even worse Tuesday with rain in parts of Polk County flowing into the river’s headwaters. NOAA projects that the river will crest in the Lithia area at 19 feet, considered to be major flooding. Further south in Hillsborough, the Little Manatee River is also projected to flood.

”It’s going to start getting up again soon,” said Riverview resident Chris Berry, who was dealing with a flooded yard and damaged roof panels on Monday morning. “It’s nice living here but you know when a storm is coming, you got to prepare.”

Further upriver, Tony Cruz cleaned away storm debris outside the Beer Shed, a local bar and BBQ hangout on the river. Floodwaters had reached the venue’s deck but the interior was dry, he said.

A longtime maintenance worker for Cruz is not convinced that the wonks at NOAA are right about more flooding.

”I never believe them,” he said. “I’ve been here 20 years.”

The overnight flooding from Debby was highest at 1:30 a.m. Monday, said Danny Doehring, who left his home to check on the house of a neighbor who is away.

He was back Monday morning sweeping water out from the home’s screened in porch.

It’s common for neighbors to look out for each other’s property and to make sure cars are moved out of the way of rising water.

In exchange, he gets to moor his “Trump boat” in his neighbor’s dock, he said. The boat, decorated with the name of GOP presidential candidate, had about four feet of clearance above the river.

”I got it as high as it will go,” he said.

— Christopher O’Donnell

11:30 a.m.: Images from Gulfport show damage to boats

– Dylan Townsend

11:15 a.m.: Debby drops back to a tropical storm

Debby is once again a tropical storm, according to an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

The storm was crawling northeast across northern Florida at 8 mph with sustained winds of 70 mph. Debby was about 55 miles west of Lake City, an inland north Florida town.

Forecasters expect the storm will slow down and turn east later on Monday and Tuesday. Debby’s center will likely move across southeastern Georgia Monday night and push offshore of South Carolina by Wednesday.

The Tampa Bay area remained under a tropical storm warning Monday morning. Storm surge along Florida’s Gulf coast, including Tampa Bay, is still a threat through this afternoon.

In Tampa Bay, the surge could peak around 4 feet, according to the hurricane center.

– Michaela Mulligan

10:59 a.m.: A dispatch from Treasure Island

TREASURE ISLAND — A few inches of water pooled in the streets of the Sunset Beach neighborhood Monday morning, though it did not rise to many doorsteps on Bayshore Drive about 10 a.m.

Outside, rough surf roared, turning this area’s normally teal waters to a frothy grey as waves smashed ashore. A few locals braved the winds to stand and the admire the swell from the walkovers.

Stiff gusts blew foam and spray through the sea oats, curling the “Keep Off” signs tacked on posts in the dunes. The Gulf churned below.

Waves swirled over the bottom steps of the walkovers.

— Emily L. Mahoney and Zachary T. Sampson

10:45 a.m.: Be mindful of wakes when driving through water

St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard, whose district includes the flood-prone neighborhood of Riviera Bay, said she has not received reports of flooding inside homes as of Monday morning.

However, the roads are flooded and residents driving through creating wake is the biggest concern, she said.

”We have a few more hours till the tide recedes,” Gabbard wrote in a text. “City crews are out doing assessments now and we will know more about the total impacts when they are able to finish their work.”

– Colleen Wright

10:25 a.m.: More than 40,000 without power around Tampa Bay

Power outages continued to plague the Tampa Bay area Monday morning as Hurricane Debby swept north.

As of about 9:30 a.m., Duke Energy Florida reported 25,000 Pinellas County customers without power, and another 6,000 in Pasco County. Tampa Electric also reported about 10,000 Hillsborough County customers without power.

The outages were widespread. Both companies said line crews would work to restore power to the affected areas when it is safe to do so.

Get the latest outage updates here.

– Dan Sullivan

10:17 a.m.: Driver dead in 18-wheeler crash

Hillsborough Fire Rescue said they were called to Interstate 75 early this morning, where they found an 18-wheeler teetering on a guardrail over the edge of the Tampa Bypass Canal. The truck had gone over the side on roads made wet by Hurricane Debby.

The cab at first was suspended over the water, but it sunk under the surface. Divers reached the cab 14 feet beneath the surface, where they found the trucker dead inside.

You can read the full story here.

– Chris Tisch

10:12 a.m.: Flight cancellations and delays

Passengers can expect increasing flight delays and cancellations at Tampa International Airport. The airport remains open, but “periods of high wind, heavy rains and lightning can cause pauses in TPA’s flight operations,” according to a news release.

Almost half of all flights scheduled to take off from Tampa on Monday were canceled or delayed by 9:30 a.m. Out of 490 flights total, 131 flights were canceled and 92 were delayed.

Most flights scheduled for the morning were canceled or delayed at the Tampa airport. Out of 50 departing flights scheduled before noon, 20 were canceled and 19 were delayed.

At St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, a handful of flights made it off the ground Monday morning. At least four planes, all operated by Allegiant Air, had taken off by 9:30 a.m. Eight departing flights were canceled and three had been delayed. Fifteen flights are scheduled for an on-time departure. Most of those flights are set to take off in the afternoon or evening.

– Shauna Muckle

10:10 a.m.: Hillsborough early voting stations remain open

Twenty seven early voting locations for Florida’s primary elections were scheduled to open in Hillsborough County on Monday morning at 10 a.m., said Gerri Kramer, spokesperson for the supervisor of elections office.

Kramer said poll workers will check on any potential damage or flooding from Hurricane Debby and keep the office updated. Polling locations can be found on the supervisor’s website.

– Justin Garcia

10:05 a.m.: Preliminary data describes heavy rain, tornadoes

Parts of the Tampa Bay area will feel the effects of Debby well into Monday, local forecasters say.

Rainfall data from the past 24 hours shows Pinellas and Manatee counties saw the heaviest downpours, with 8 to 12 inches and 10 to 15, respectively.

The National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office is also investigating two potential tornadoes that occurred Sunday.

One small tornado damaged a fence and trailer in Bartow. Another touched down onshore Redington Beach.

”They’re small, and a lot of them have been out in rural areas, which is good,” said Paul Close, a meteorologist with the Ruskin office. “We don’t want too much damage.”

Close said to expect more heavy rains from Debby’s outer bands as the storm moves over land Monday.The area is still under tornado watch until 4 p.m.

– Jack Prator

10:00 a.m.: Madeira Beach residents brace for high tide

MADEIRA BEACH — Murky water lingered on some low-lying streets along the Intracoastal Waterway here early Monday after Hurricane Debby passed overnight.

Residents who weathered Tropical Storm Eta in 2020 and Hurricane Idalia last year had barricaded their doors with sandbags, tarps and tape along Boca Ciega Avenue, preparing for yet another flood. But the water, several said, did not rise as high as the last two storms, sparing houses that had been soaked previously.

”Wind and rain — it was loud,” said Frances Helfrich, 62.

But they were not celebrating — keeping a wary eye on the forecast, with another high tide expected in the early afternoon.

Sporadic belts of rain pelted the neighborhood about 9:30 a.m. as Debby slammed Florida’s Big Bend, farther north.

Still, there were signs of normalcy returning. A man walked a beagle at the edge of the road, and a garbage truck circled the streets, collecting trash bins left at the curb the morning after the worst squalls. A man floated his empty bin back to his driveway, splashing through shin-high water.

Palm fronds littered most lawns. A “For Sale” sign, ripped from its post, lay in the road under a few inches of water.

At a small waterfront park, the Intracoastal lapped at the top of the sea wall.

— Zachary T. Sampson and Emily L. Mahoney

9:55 a.m.: Crews assess damage around St. Petersburg

The city of St. Petersburg posted on X just before 9 a.m. Monday that crews were out and assessing damages.

Shore Acres Civic Association president Kevin Batdorf, who is currently in Orlando on a family vacation, said he’s been monitoring his neighborhood’s communications. He said Hurricane Debby “doesn’t appear to be as bad as Idalia” referring to the hurricane one year ago that flooded many homes and led to evacuations and structure fires.

St. Petersburg City Council member Ed Montanari, who lives in Snell Isle, has been checking on the areas of Shore Acres Boulevard and 40th Avenue and 62nd Avenue and speaking to police stationed there.

”It doesn’t seem to be quite as high as I’ve seen it recently,” Montanari said. “It’s still very significant.”

He said Batdorf told him that two homes seem to have had water intrusion. Montanari said six pumps set up throughout the neighborhood in particularly flood prone areas before the storm “seem to be doing a good job.”

He said backflow preventers recently installed also seem to be working.”It seems like the backflow preventers are doing what they need to do, but you compound it with a rain event and it causes a lot of problems,” Montanari said.

He said he has not heard of any structure fires or water evacuations from St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.

– Colleen Wright

9:46 a.m.: West St. Petersburg neighborhoods see flooding

In a Facebook group for people who live in West St. Petersburg, longtime residents shared photos of flooding they called very unusual. Posts warned people not to drive on the flooded streets of Eagle Crest to avoid pushing water closer to homes and said food delivery drivers were stalling out in the water.

A small lake in the Tyrone area flooded its banks on Sunday and remained that way on Monday morning, creeping over fences and into swimming pools.

– Ellen Clarke

9:40 a.m.: Photos show impact of storm around Tampa Bay

From Pass-A-Grille to Bayshore Boulevard, Times photographers are documenting high waters. Take a look.

– Lauren Peace

8:55 a.m.: Howard Frankland, Sunshine Skyway bridges remain closed

The Howard Frankland Bridge was closed around 1:30 a.m. due to “heavy wave action and debris coming onto the highway,” according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Three hours later, all northbound lanes of the bridge, travelling from Pinellas to Hillsborough counties, were closed as portions of the shoulder and roadway washed out on the Hillsborough side of the span.

High winds and inclement weather also shut down the Sunshine Skyway Bridge at about 10 p.m. Sunday. It remains closed as of 9 a.m., said FHP spokesperson Steve Gaskins.

– Olivia George

8:10 a.m.: Debby weakens over land

Debby’s maximum sustained winds decreased to near 75 mph as the Category 1 hurricane moved inland over Florida.

Forecasters expect the storm to decrease in forward speed and weaken to a tropical storm later Monday.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 140 miles, according to an 8 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

The storm was about 60 miles north-northwest of Cedar Key.

– Jack Prator

8:03 a.m.: Surge overtops Lake Tarpon

Storm surge from Hurricane Debby has overtopped Lake Tarpon as the Southwest Florida Water Management District rushes to release as much water as possible, according to a news release from the agency.

Lake Tarpon, which is near Tarpon Springs, rose more than 18 inches overnight and continues to climb. Storm surge has been higher than the lake since 11 a.m. Sunday, according to Swiftmud.

“Water cannot be released until the storm surge recedes,” the release states.

The Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal is a 3-mile canal that extends from the south end of Lake Tarpon and empties into Old Tampa Bay. It protects the lake’s freshwater ecology by preventing saltwater from entering Lake Tarpon during high tide.

– Jack Prator

7:50 a.m.: Debby is ‘ongoing threat’

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday morning the storm has led to “significant flooding events” from the Sarasota and Bradenton area to North Florida.

”That is not just something that happens when the storm passes, there will be an ongoing threat over the ensuing days,” he said at a news conference in Tallahassee shortly after Hurricane Debby made landfall as a Category 1 storm.

As of Monday morning, there were 143,000 Floridians without power, DeSantis said. He said there are 17,000 linemen who are waiting to assist in power restoration efforts.

Some portions of southwest Florida, including Sarasota and Manatee counties have already seen 10 to 12 inches of rain as of Monday morning, Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.

”This storm is massive, with hurricane force winds extending 25 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extending 140 miles from the center, covering much of the state from the I-4 corridor all the way to the north to the state line,” Guthrie said.

More than 35 tornado warnings have been issued across the state as of Monday morning, he added.

”If a tornado is issued in the area, you need to get to an interior room, most likely the bathroom in your home, and make sure you stay hunkered down in that area,” he said.

DeSantis said the state has the resources it needs to respond in the aftermath of the storm. State officials are preparing to head to impacted areas later on Monday.

That will include the Sarasota/Bradenton area due to the significant flooding.

”We probably have marshaled more assets than we are going to need to respond,” he said. “But there will likely be many days where people are going to have to look and see what’s happening with the water, particularly in the northern part of the state.”

- Ana Ceballos, Times/Herald

7:45 a.m.: Bridges close, outages continue

Florida Highway Patrol closed both northbound and southbound lanes on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Sunday night “due to high winds and inclement weather,” the agency said. It was still closed Monday morning.

More than 30,000 Duke Energy customers were without power Monday morning, according to the utility company’s outage map. Tampa Electric outages reached about 9,000 households.

– Jack Prator

7:30 a.m.: Floodwaters stall in St. Petersburg’s Shore Acres

A police cruiser sits at the intersection of Shore Acres Blvd and Arkansas Ave. as shin high waters reach about a third up resident’s driveways. A few vehicles, mostly trucks and SUVs brave the deep waters.

– Dylan Townsend

7:12 a.m.: Debby makes landfall as Category 1 hurricane

Debby, now a Category 1 hurricane, made landfall at about 7 a.m. 5 miles west of Steinhatchee, a Gulf coastal community in the southern part of Taylor County. In a 6 a.m. update Monday, federal meteorologists said parts of the storm’s eyewall, home to a hurricane’s most severe weather, are already onshore.

The Florida coast from the Yankeetown to Indian Pass is under a hurricane warning.

As of 5 a.m., federal meteorologists had much of Florida’s west coast, including the Tampa Bay area, under a tropical storm warning and said storm surge could reach up to 5 feet if the storm’s peak arrives at high tides.

During its plotted course, Debby slowed and drew strength from the balmy waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

The center of the storm was about 45 miles northwest of Cedar Key and 70 miles south-southeast of Tallahassee at 5 a.m. Monday. It was moving north-northeast at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, with higher gusts.

Debby is the fourth hurricane in a season that forecasters expect to be historically active.

– Jack Prator

Tampa Bay Times hurricane coverage 2024

5 things to know about the 2024 hurricane season, according to forecasters.

Forecasters predict ‘extremely active’ 2024 hurricane season. Here’s why.

Could Tampa Bay flood insurance rise after a hurricane? A warning from Hurricane Ian

Want to know what areas are flooding in Tampa Bay? Here’s where to look.

Checklists for building all kinds of storm kits.