Tropical Storm Debby Poised for Major Flooding on South Carolina Coast

Tropical Storm Debby is expected to cause significant flooding in South Carolina as it makes landfall Thursday. With heavy rainfall predictions, up to 9 inches in some areas, the storm has already impacted communities, leading to six deaths and states of emergency declared in the Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia.

Tropical Storm Debby is forecast to make landfall early Thursday, bringing more rain to the South Carolina coast and raising fears of flash flooding in regions already saturated by the slow-moving storm.

Forecasters predict up to 9 additional inches of rain in parts of eastern South Carolina on Thursday, potentially increasing total accumulative rainfall in some areas to more than 25 inches since the storm began affecting the southeastern United States on Monday. Rich Bann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, warned that the storm would intensify on Thursday after gathering moisture over the Atlantic Ocean off the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.

"Moisture has pulsed back into Debby," Bann said, indicating that inland movement would heighten the risk of heavy rains and flooding. By Friday, the storm is expected to bring up to 4 inches of rain to areas from Virginia to Pennsylvania, where soil saturation from earlier storms has already posed flooding threats. The rain might extend into central New York state and northern Vermont over the weekend.

The storm has already claimed six lives in Florida and Georgia since making landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday. States of emergency have been declared in the Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia, with neighborhoods and communities experiencing severe flooding, washed-out streets, and inundated homes.

Emergency management officials are closely monitoring the storm as rainwater continues to flow into rivers throughout the Carolinas. The National Water Prediction Service forecasts that seven waterways will reach major flood levels before the storm concludes its course.

(With inputs from agencies.)