As the center of Hurricane Debby settled directly over Chatham County Tuesday afternoon, meteorologists reported that the slow-moving storm’s greatest impact is now being felt along the South Carolina coast.
One of the smaller threats to coastal areas around Savannah is rising water pushing ashore, potentially causing flooding, erosion and structural damage.
“The storm surge is likely over (for Georgia) because the storm was close to the coast and the current turned to the northwest later this afternoon, pushing the water back out,” said Ron Morales, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Although Tuesday morning saw little precipitation and relatively calm winds, showers and a few thunderstorms are expected in the Savannah area Tuesday afternoon. These showers may be accompanied by increased chances of heavy rain and strong winds.
“Even if it doesn’t rain very much right now, you’re going to have an outburst, especially over urbanized areas or areas that are already full, it’s not going to take much to flood everything again,” Morales warned. “So keep that in mind, even though you may feel like you’re almost there, a good, strong band of showers and maybe even a thunderstorm … can flood the situation very quickly.”
It is expected to remain windy through at least Thursday.
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The same, but different
Savannah experienced its fourth round of flooding in the past two weeks on Monday. Nearly 3.5 inches of rain fell in a three-hour period at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport late that afternoon. The deluge inundated many streets just in time for rush hour.
Downtown Savannah received more than 8 inches of rain in a 24-hour period beginning Monday afternoon. Other area gauges recorded similar totals — a far cry from the three previous rounds of flooding when moisture-driven pop-up storms produced different totals.
For example, on July 29, nearly four inches of rain fell in a few hours at Hunter Army Airfield, while Savannah/Hilton International Airport reported no precipitation at all.
In the Savannah region, rainfall in August is already above average.
The highest daily total ever in the city was 9 inches on September 16, 1924.
Looking forward
Below is the National Weather Service’s short-term forecast for the Savannah area:
Tuesday: Showers and possibly thunderstorms. Some storms can produce heavy rain. High around 81. Calm wind shifting north around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts of a quarter to a half inch possible.
Tuesday Night: Showers and possibly thunderstorms. Some storms can produce heavy rainfall. Lows around 75. Northwest winds 8 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Wednesday: Showers and possibly thunderstorms. Some storms can produce heavy rainfall. High around 85. Windy, with a northwest wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts of three-quarters to one inch possible.
John Deem writes about climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. He can be reached at 912-652-0213 or jdeem@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared in the Savannah Morning News: Debby drops 8 inches of rain on Savannah, flooding South Carolina coast
