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Warm Gulf waters could help slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane before landfall

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Tropical Storm Debby was strengthening early Sunday as the fourth-named system of the season churned closer to the Florida Gulf Coast where it was expected to make landfall Monday as a hurricane.

Debby, fueled by warm waters of the Gulf, was moving northward and will turn to the north later Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. At 8 a.m. ET Sunday the storm was centered about 155 mile southwest of Tampa.

What to expect across Central Florida?

The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Debby is expected to strengthen rapidly before landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region.

Gov. Ron DeSantis declared counties across Central Florida under a state of emergency as they face potential severe weather risks.

As Debby moves through, here is a look at the potential impacts across Central Florida.

As Tropical Storm Debby moves through the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters are focusing on two potential effects of the storm’s slow speed: More time will allow the system to gain strength to become a hurricane, and if it lingers, the Southeast could see huge amounts of flooding rainfall over the next few days.

Authorities in Florida and Georgia are urging residents to prepare as the storm makes its way through the near-record warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Debby is expected to continue strengthening and could become a hurricane by Sunday evening after being upgraded to a tropical storm a day prior, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Debby has sustained winds of 60 mph and is located about 155 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. ET Sunday update on the storm.