Tropical Storm Debby is forecasted to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by Sunday night, with landfall expected in Florida’s Big Bend region early Monday.

The storm will bring strong winds, significant flooding, and power outages. Governor Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to finalize their storm preparations, highlighting that Debby will bring substantial moisture despite having weaker winds than 2023’s Hurricane Idalia.

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, enabling FEMA to coordinate disaster relief.

Debby, which formed from a front north of Cuba, had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph by Sunday evening and was 120 miles west of Tampa, NBC News has reported.

The storm poses a “life-threatening storm surge inundation” risk along parts of Florida’s Gulf coast.

Written by B.C. Begley