Tropical Storm Debby makes second U.S. landfall in South Carolina

Tropical Storm Debby, which has already dumped more than a foot of rain on parts of the South and is forecast to bring more, made a second landfall in the U.S. early Thursday when it crossed back into South Carolina.

The storm, which had 50 mph winds, made landfall near Bulls Bay, South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said in a 2 a.m. ET update.

It was a Category 1 hurricane when it first made landfall near Steinhatchee in Florida’s Big Bend region at 7 a.m. Monday.

“The big story with Debby is going to continue to be the rainfall,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said in a 5 p.m. Wednesday update.

There have been six deaths related to the storm, five of which occurred in Florida, according to reports from officials. Another person died in Georgia. Most of the deaths were from falling trees.

Debby brought tornado warnings to parts of North Carolina early Thursday. Government officials in Wilson County said a twister touched down just prior to 3 a.m. and “heavily damaged” Springfield Middle School in Lucama, as well as four homes and a church.

Later on Thursday, Wilson County confirmed one fatality after the suspected tornado. A search-and-rescue team located the body of a missing person on Lloyd Road in Lucama, though that individual was not identified.

Wilson County Schools said the suspected tornado left sections of the roof and walls of the sixth and seventh grade halls “missing or compromised.”

“It was heartbreaking to see the school right after the event, and I want to thank all of the caring folks that have already reached out to offer assistance and support,” Wilson County Schools Superintendent Lane Mills said.

The storm is slow, and it’s not forecast to start leaving North Carolina until Thursday night or Friday. It is expected to continue to weaken as it moves inland.

“We expect this storm to continue its slow, gradual approach, bringing multiple days of heavy rainfall and the potential for widespread and severe flash flooding,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday. Parts of the state could get 15 inches of rain.

On Thursday, 22 million people are under flood alerts stretching nearly 1,000 miles from the coastal Carolinas to Canada.

There’s a high risk for flash flooding for Wilmington, North Carolina, up to Roanoke, Virginia. An additional rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, and locally up to 10 inches, is possible from coastal North Carolina to western Virginia.

There’s also a tornado watch in effect for most of eastern North Carolina into southeastern Virginia. Through the rest of Thursday, 3 million people will be at risk for tropical tornadoes from eastern North Carolina into central Virginia.

While the center of the storm made landfall, its effects are widespread. When it was still out to sea off South Carolina at around 5 p.m., the storm was affecting weather from Florida to the Carolinas and into the mid-Atlantic states, Brennan said.

The community of Parrish, Florida, around 20 miles southeast of St. Petersburg, recorded almost 19 inches of rain by early Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. Sarasota got a foot of rain, and officials reported hundreds of rescues in Sarasota County.

An EF-1 tornado associated with an outer rain band of the tropical storm damaged roofs of homes on the Isle of Palms in South Carolina on Tuesday, the weather service said. In all, 29 homes suffered damage from the winds or falling trees, it said.

Another EF-1 tornado associated with the storm hit Edisto Island on Monday with 90 mph winds, according to the agency. It tore down trees and ripped off part of the roof of a home.

Next, Debby’s forecast to accelerate toward the north across eastern South Carolina and central North Carolina through Thursday night, then will move faster toward the Northeast across the mid-Atlantic on Friday, then Atlantic Canada on Saturday, according to the hurricane center.

It’s likely to become a tropical depression Thursday afternoon or evening.