3 p.m.: Alachua County released a press release saying West Newberry Road (SR 26) has been closed near the Gilchrist County line due to a large sinkhole opening. The sinkhole is reported to be 35 feet wide and 15 feet deep. Currently, the sinkhole is only on the shoulder, but the road has been determined to be unstable.
1 p.m.: North central Florida rivers are expected to get near record-breaking flood levels in the days following Hurricane Debby's landfall. WUFT's Kristin Moorehead spoke with Columbia County Public Information Officer Heather Futch about what hazards this may present.
12 p.m.: As now-Tropical Storm Debby finishes her track across the state, read more about what to expect in the aftermath by clicking the story below:
11 a.m.: The entirety of Lafayette County is without power Monday morning, according to Emergency Management Spokesperson Steve Land.
10:45 a.m.: Troy Roberts, communications and outreach office chief with the Suwannee River Water Management District, says they're keeping an eye on two rising rivers in particular.
10:30 a.m.: Columbia County Public Information Officer Heather Futch tells WUFT's Kristin Moorehead that residents along rivers in north Florida need to continue to be mindful of rising waters in the coming days.
In Marion County, Ashley Lopez with Ocala Fire and Rescue says most of their calls for help came in overnight.
10:15 a.m.: Scott Holowasko, utility emergency manager for Gainesville Regional Utilities, says GRU's crews have already restored power to some 15,000 customers this morning. He spoke with WUFT's Rose Schnabel and provided other tips on staying safe and reporting issues during the storm:
10 a.m.: As the storm leaves north central Florida, you can use these phone numbers to report power outages:
- Clay Electric: 1-888-434-9844
- Duke Energy: 1-800-228-8485
- Gainesville Regional Utilities: 352-334-2871
If you encounter a downed power line or other damage, use these phone numbers in each county:
- Alachua County: 352-264-6500
- Bradford County: 904-966-6336
- Citrus County: 352-249-2700
- Columbia County: 386-758-1125
- Dixie County: 352-498-1240
- Gilchrist County: 386-935-5400
- Lafayette County: 386-294-1950
- Levy County: 352-486-5213
- Marion County: 352-369-7500
- Putnam County: 386-329-0379
- Suwannee County: 386-364-3405
- Union County: 386-496-4300
9:22 a.m.: Alachua County officials are concerned about a possible slowdown and what that might mean for rainfall totals in the area.
"The total cumulative rainfall is expected to be in the 6 to 8-inch range. If the storm continues to slow down, we could see rainfall as high as 20 inches. Alachua County has experienced up to 5 inches of rain in the western portion of the county. Sustained winds are 10 to 20 mph with gusts of over 40 mph. We expect wind speeds to increase over the course of the day.
Multiple road closures have been reported due to downed trees and flooding.
Residents should stay safe and not leave their homes so that public safety and public works personnel can react to damage. Downed powerlines and trees are creating dangerous hazards. Please do not approach downed powerlines and report them to your utility company. Residents staying in shelters or have otherwise evacuated their homes are urged to remain in place until the storm has passed."
8:49 a.m.: Carrie Stevenson, a coastal sustainability expert for UF IFAS, reminds locals about the potential for local rivers to flood in the next few days as the storm makes its way to Georgia and dumps rainwater there, which can flow back into North Central Florida. Stevenson also talks about insurance concerns for Cedar Key residents, especially for those hit hard by Hurricane Idalia last year.
8:30 a.m.: Newberry Road westbound near the intersection of Northwest 98th Street in Alachua County was closed due to standing water.
8 a.m.: The Gainesville Regional Airport is operational this morning, but there's a caveat. Here's Erin Porter, its manager of marketing and public relations, on flight delays and cancellations:
The main message we have is for passengers to check with their airline before coming to the airport. The airlines operate independently of us, i.e. they make their operational decisions based on what’s also happening in their hubs. I do know American was not planning to operate any flights until this afternoon and Delta has canceled their flight later this morning. Not sure what Silver will do.
Airline schedules can change at any time. They are the only reliable source for flight information. The airport has no better information than that, and flight displays may take some time to be updated. The airport is currently operational for any storm related emergency aircraft, military aircraft and scheduled airlines as well as private aircraft with 1 hour advance notice.
7:30 a.m.: Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie spoke from the Florida Emergency Operations Center about the storm and what Floridians should know.
The pair urged Florida residents to stay inside and off the roads.
“When you have flood situations, that is the number one way we will see fatalities, is by people being out on the roads,” DeSantis said. He cited last night’s single-vehicle crash in Dixie County and this morning’s discovery of an 18-wheeler over the guardrail in Hillsborough County.
Guthrie warned that conditions will continue to deteriorate in the north central and northeast regions of the state. River and stream levels are rapidly rising, he said, and several are expected to go into major flood stages as they receive 15-20 inches of rain throughout the storm. Flood impacts could last five to 10 days as rainfall from Debby in Georgia makes it way down to Florida waterways.
At the time of the update, DeSantis said there were 143,000 Floridians without power. He noted that this number was “incredibly modest compared to other storms,” but that 17,000 linemen were ready to work on restoration after Debby passed.
The Sunshine Skyway and Howard Frankland Bridge in the Tampa Bay area have both temporarily closed due to high winds, and officials expect to reopen them once conditions improve.
7:25 a.m.: Marion County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Zachary Moore says as branches and power lines fall, homeowners should report damage to their property through the Marion County Property Appraiser when it is safe to do so. The county opened its citizen information line at 7 a.m., and it will be available at 7 p.m. to report road obstructions or other events needing government action: 352-369-7500.
7:20 a.m.: Cedar Key resident Michael Bobbitt says the water is now knee deep on the city's Main Street. He has this update by phone, as well as photos of the scene below.
7:15 a.m.: The Associated Press reports Hurricane Debby made landfall as a Category 1 storm in Steinhatchee.
7 a.m.: Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward says the effects of the hurricane on the city is similar to "an extended thunderstorm." About four trees are down, with no reported injuries. City residents could see more trees falling even after the rain leaves due to saturated root systems.
6:45 a.m.: Alachua County Communications Director Mark Sexton spoke with WUFT's Áine Pennello about the extent of power outages, the forecast for the day and what people should know to stay safe during the storm.
6:35 a.m.: Two people are dead after a weather-related crash in Dixie County Sunday night, according to a press release from the Florida Highway Patrol. The crash happened at 9:25 p.m. on U.S. 19, north of 483rd Avenue.
Witnesses report that wet roads appeared to make the driver lose control, causing the car to to hit the center guardrail and flip off the road to the right. The driver and one passenger, age 12, died on the scene. A second passenger, 14, was transported to UF Health with serious injuries
6 a.m.: Cedar Key resident Michael Bobbit spoke with WUFT's Áine Pennello just before dawn on Monday. He says "it looks just as severe as last year" during Hurricane Idalia, as Debby's storm surge takes effect. Listen to the full interview here.
5:45 a.m.: Local utility companies are reporting thousands of power outages across north central Florida.
Duke has 54,000 customers without power statewide, including about 1,500 in Dixie and Gilchrist counties, 1,200 in Archer, High Springs and Alachua, and over 5,000 in Marion County.
Eight percent of Clay Electric's 194,000 customers are without power, although 99% (or just under 700) of them are in the dark in Levy County. Alachua County also has 6,300 Clay customers without power.
Gainesville Regional Utilities has 5,000 of its 100,000-plus customers without power.
5:30 a.m.: Three different Alachua County meetings were canceled Monday. The Arts Council of Alachua County, the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization and the Joint Water and Climate Policy Board Meeting were all called off due to Hurricane Debby.
Of note, the next update for Gainesville's city Climate Action Plan will be presented at the City Commission meeting on Aug. 15, according to Chief Resiliency Officer Dan Zhu.
5 a.m.: With high winds, Gainesville's Regional Transit Service is running reduced service from Monday until further notice. The city's bus service had suspended fares Monday and Tuesday to help with emergency travel around the city.
Here's what else you need to know about what's open and closed on Monday:
UF Health
- UF Health hospitals and the majority of its clinical practices will remain open; however, UF Health Archer Family Health Care, UF Health Family Medicine – Lake City, and UF Health Family Medicine – Old Town will be closed Monday.
PK Yonge Development Research School
- P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School is also closed Monday, and operating on the same schedule as the University of Florida.
Gainesville city offices & parks
- City offices and facilities are closed on Monday and remain closed until further notice.
- All city parks, including Ironwood Golf Course, remain closed.
Garbage collection
- All waste and recycling pick up will be delayed one day for the rest of this week. Monday’s service is expected to occur on Tuesday; Tuesday’s collection is expected to occur on Wednesday and so forth.
4:45 a.m.: The storm is nearing landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane #Debby nearing landfall in the Florida Big Bend. Life-threatening storm surge and potentially catastrophic rainfall expected. Here is the 4 am EDT update. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/dZnu1l2BBe
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 5, 2024
4:40 a.m.: Gov. Ron DeSantis has scheduled a press conference for 7:30 a.m. to provide the latest information about Hurricane Debby's impact on the state. You can watch it at that time on the top of this page.
4:30 a.m.: Many government offices and school districts across north central Florida are closed Monday due to Hurricane Debby. Here is a quick list of closures and class cancellations:
- College of Central Florida
- Florida Gateway College
- Santa Fe College
- University of Florida
- Alachua County early voting (opening postponed to Tuesday at 9 a.m.)
- Alachua County government offices
- Alachua County public libraries
- Alachua County School District
- Bradford County School District
- Columbia County School District
- Gilchrist County government offices
- Levy County School District
- Union County School District
3:30 a.m.: A flash flood warning is in effect Monday morning for the following Florida Gulf Coast counties:
Hurricane #Debby Advisory 11A: Debby Strengthening as it Nears Landfall in the Florida Big Bend. Expected to Bring Life-Threatening Storm Surge in Portions of Florida and Major Flooding in the Southeastern United States. https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 5, 2024
