Category 1 Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida earlier today, packing winds of 80 mph. The phenomenon has led to “historic amounts of rainfall”. the cancellation of more than 2,200 flights in the affected provinces, authorities have reported.
Forecasters predict the gains will lose momentum through the day, but heavy rain will remain a serious threat as the storm continues up the East Coast into the Carolinas and Georgia starting tonight.
“This will be the story of this storm,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC). “The slow motion will dump historic amounts of precipitation – possibly more than 50 centimeters. You are talking about catastrophic flooding.”
According to the NHC, this is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the area in more than 125 years.
According to the flight tracking site Flight consciousLast Sunday, around 2,200 flights were canceled and 6,300 were delayed.
If you had a flight scheduled for this weekend or in the next few hours, seven airlines are offering travelers weather waivers so you can reschedule your flight at no cost.
These airlines include Southwest, airlines, Spirit Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Border And American.
American Airlines and JetBlue are the two airlines with the highest cancellation rates, up to 17% of total flights.
Cruise passengers have also been affected.
Cruise passengers have also been affected. The itineraries and itineraries of Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Elation, Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas and Margaritaville at Sea’s Islander have had to change their plans and calls.
“The safety of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our top priority. Together with our Chief Meteorologist, we are closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Beryl and are making adjustments to some of our Caribbean sailings for the comfort and safety of our guests and crew. Guests and travel advisors will be immediately informed of any necessary changes.” told CNNa spokesperson for the Royal Caribbean Group.
So far, massive flooding has affected the Bradenton and Sarasota County areas all the way to North Florida.
In the latest news, more than 248,000 Floridians are currently without power, energy tracker PowerOutage.us revealed today.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has assigned nearly 3,000 National Guard troops to help manage life-threatening situations, as well as more than 17,000 energy workers to restore power as soon as it is safe to do so.
The governors of Georgia and South Carolina have declared states of emergency in their states in preparation for the storm’s impending arrival. More flight cancellations are expected.
