Tropical Storm Debby strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane as it heads toward Florida

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tropical Storm Debby strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it approached Florida on Sunday evening, according to the national weather service.

Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.

Forecasters warned heavy amounts of rain from Debby could spawn catastrophic flooding in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.

The storm was expected to make landfall around midday Monday in the Big Bend area of Florida, the hurricane center said. A tornado watch also was in effect for parts of Florida and Georgia until 6 a.m. Monday.

“Right now, we are trying secure everything from floating away," said Sheryl Horne, whose family owns the Shell Island Fish Camp along the Wakulla River in St. Marks, Florida, where some customers moved their boats inland. The sparsely populated Big Bend region in the Florida Panhandle was hit last year by Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.

“I am used to storms and I’m used to cleaning up after storms,” Horne said.

Debby was expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, thrashing the region with potential record-setting rains totaling up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) beginning Tuesday. Officials also warned of life-threatening storm surge along Florida’s Gulf Coast, with 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters) of inundation expected Monday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.

“There’s some really amazing rainfall totals being forecast and amazing in a bad way,” Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane center, said at a briefing. “That would be record-breaking rainfall associated with a tropical cyclone for both the states of Georgia and South Carolina if we got up to the 30-inch level.”

Flooding impacts could last through Friday and are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. North Carolina officials were monitoring the storm's progress.

Officials in Savannah said the area could see a month’s worth of rain in four days if the system stalls over the region.

“This is going to a significant storm. The word historic cannot be underscored here,” Savannah Mayor Van. R. Johnson said during a press conference.

The hurricane center said at 11 p.m. that Debby was located about 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). The storm was moving north at 12 mph (19 kph).

Debby's outer bands grazed the west coast of Florida, flooding streets and bringing power outages. Sarasota County officials said most roadways on Siesta Key, a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, were under water. The hurricane center had predicted the system would strengthen as it curved off the southwest Florida coast, where the water has been extremely warm.

At a briefing Sunday afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned the storm could lead to “really, really significant flooding that will happen in North Central Florida.”

The storm would follow a similar track to Hurricane Idalia but would “be much wetter. We are going to see much more inundation," he said.

A hurricane warning was issued for parts of the Big Bend and Florida Panhandle areas, while tropical storm warnings were posted for Florida’s West Coast, the southern Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. A tropical storm watch extended farther west into the Panhandle.

Tropical storms and hurricanes can trigger river flooding and overwhelm drainage systems and canals. Forecasters warned of 6 to 12 inches (15 centimeters to 30 centimeters) of rain and up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) in isolated areas of Florida.

Flat Florida is prone to flooding even on sunny days and the storm was predicted to bring a surge of 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 meters) along most of the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, with a storm tide of up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) north of there in the Big Bend region.

Forecasters warned of “a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation” in a region that includes Hernando Beach, Crystal River, Steinhatchee and Cedar Key. Officials in Citrus and Levy counties ordered a mandatory evacuation of coastal areas, while those in Hernando, Manatee, Pasco and Taylor counties called for voluntary evacuations. Shelters opened in those and some other counties.

Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast estimated 21,000 people live in his county’s evacuation zone.

Residents in Steinhatchee, Florida, which flooded during Hurricane Idalia, spent Sunday moving items to higher ground.

“I’ve been here 29 years. This isn’t the first time I’ve done it. Do you get used to it? No,” Mark Reblin said as he moved items out of the liquor store he owns.

Employees of Savannah Canoe and Kayak in Georgia said they were busy tying down their watercrafts, laying sandbags, and raising equipment off the ground. Mayme Bouy, the store manager, said she wasn’t too concerned about the forecast calling for a potential historic rain event.

“But we do have some high tides this week so if the rain is happening around then, that could be bad,” Bouy added. “I’d rather play it safe than sorry.”

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, with the National Guard activating 3,000 guard members. Utility crews from in and out of state were ready to restore power after the storm, he said in a post on X. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster made their own emergency declarations.

In Tampa alone, officials gave out more than 30,000 sandbags to barricade against flooding.

“We’ve got our stormwater drains cleared out. We’ve got our generators all checked and full. We’re doing everything that we need to be prepared to face a tropical storm,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.

Emergency managers in New England and New York were already monitoring the path of the storm for the possibility of remnants striking their states. States including New York and Vermont have been hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent weeks and were still coping with flooding and saturated ground.

Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Jake Offenhartz contributed from New York.

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 11:11pm ET shows Hurricane Debby approaching Florida on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

A pedestrian wades across a flooded street as a result of Tropical Storm Debby in the Shore Acres area of St. Petersburg, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Floodwaters cover parts of the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Fla., as a result of Tropical Storm Debby Sunday afternoon, Aug. 4, 2024. (Dylan Townsend/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

St. Petersburg Stormwater Management workers Mariano Morales, left, and Brad Sharp, work to clear debris from a flooded street in Shore Acres during Tropical Storm Debby Sunday afternoon, Aug. 4, 2024. (Dylan Townsend/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

A man takes photos of the surf, pushed by winds from Tropical Storm Debby, break over the sea wall in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Christopher O'Meara)

A man takes photos of a construction crew attempting to remove equipment as surf pushed by winds from Tropical Storm Debby break over the sea wall in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Christopher O'Meara)

A man struggles to secure construction equipment against of the surf, pushed by winds from Tropical Storm Debby, in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Christopher O'Meara)

A man takes photos of the surf pushed by winds from Tropical Storm Debby as they break over the sea wall in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Christopher O'Meara)

A driver negotiates a flooded street as Tropical Storm Debby passes just to the west of the Tampa Bay, Fla., region, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Mabrey Shaffmaster, left, carries her nephew, Arlo Hoggard, 3, left, as her sister, Morgan Hoggard, carries nine-month-old son Ace Hoggard through a flooded street as Tropical Storm Debby approaches Florida on on Sunday, Aug 4, 2024 in Tarpon Springs, Fla. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

A vehicle drives through a flooded street as Tropical Storm Debby approaches Florida, on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024 in Gulfport, Fla. (Dylan Townsend/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Landon Stanley pulls his friends Jakob Jackson and Emerson Porcelli-Wilson in the waters flooding the streets from Tropical Storm Debby on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024 in Tampa, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

The surf pushed by winds from Tropical Storm Debby break over the sea wall in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Christopher O'Meara)

Visitors to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks navigate a flooded street on Sunday, Aug 4, 2024 in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as Tropical Storm Debby stirs moisture offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Debby as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

Patrick Brafford, a beach lifeguard manager, uses a tie down strap to help secure a compact track loader and a lifeguard tower to help pull it further away from the water in preparation of potential storm at Clearwater Beach on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

From left, Matthew Blowers and Patrick Brafford prepare to secure a lifeguard tower in preparation of potential storm at Clearwater Beach on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

City workers empty trash cans to prepare for the storm at Clearwater Beach on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Palm trees blow in the breeze as a trio of fishermen take advantage of the favorable weather conditions along Suncoast Key in Ozello, Fla., before Tropical Storm Debby makes landfall on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Christopher O'Meara)

A trio of fishermen take advantage of the favorable weather conditions along Suncoast Key in Ozello, Fla., before Tropical Storm Debby makes landfall on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Christopher O'Meara)

People walk along a windy Hollywood Beach as Tropical Storm Debby moves through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024 in Hollywood, Fla. (WPLG via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising Monday and clawing back some of the losses from their worst week in nearly a year and a half.

The S&P 500 was 0.9% higher in early trading and on track to break a four-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 194 points, or 0.5%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.1% higher.

Boeing climbed 4% after reaching a tentative deal with its largest union on a new contract that, if ratified, will avoid a strike that threatened to shut down aircraft production by the end of the week. Boeing said 33,000 workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers would get pay raises of 25% over the four-year contract.

Yields also held relatively steady in the bond market following their sharp swings last week, when a highly anticipated update on the U.S. job market came in weak enough to worsen worries about the slowing U.S. economy.

The Federal Reserve has been intentionally pressing the brakes on the economy through high interest rates in order to stifle high inflation. It’s set to start lowering rates later this month, which would ease the pressure on the economy, as it turns its focus toward protecting the job market and avoiding a recession. The question on Wall Street is if the shift in focus away from beating high inflation will prove to be too late.

The 10-year Treasury yield edged up to 3.73% from 3.72% late Friday.

On Wall Street, Apple’s stock was edging down by 0.1% ahead of an event later in the day where it’s expected unveil its latest iPhone model, the 16. It’s the first model to be tailored specifically for artificial intelligence, with expected improvements to its often dim-witted virtual assistant, Siri.

Palantir Technologies jumped 10.5% in its first trading after S&P Dow Jones Indices said it would add the company to its widely followed S&P 500 index. Dell Technologies rose 5.3%, and Erie Indemnity gained 2.3% after they likewise got a notice of promotion to the index.

Trading in Big Lots was halted after the discount retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and said it plans to sell its assets and ongoing business operations to private equity firm Nexus Capital Management.

This upcoming week will feature the latest monthly updates on inflation at the consumer and wholesale levels. Such reports used to be the most anticipated economic data of each month, but market watchers say they’re now taking the back seat to updates on the job market because of the worries about a possible recession.

Of course, if the inflation reports show an unexpected spike higher in inflation, that could put the Federal Reserve in its worst-case scenario. Lower interest rates could help boost the economy, but they could also give inflation more fuel.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in much of Europe after falling in Asia. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.5% after the country’s economic growth for the second quarter was revised below expectations.

Chinese stocks racked up losses after worse-than-expected inflation data disappointed investors. Indexes fell 1.4% in Hong Kong and 1.1% in Shanghai.

AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed.

FILE - People pass the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A person walks near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People stand near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)