Tropical Storm Debby rolled into the Augusta area this week, bringing more rain and a flood watch.
Through Thursday evening, Debby could bring up to 10 inches of rain, resulting in isolated flooding, according to the National Weather Service.
Augusta EMA provided a list of storm safety tips for local residents, but said the most important thing is to stay off the roads.
Below is the latest information on Tropical Storm Debby in Augusta and east Georgia. The Augusta Chronicle staff will update regularly.
2 p.m. Thursday | Gov. Kemp extends state of emergency for Georgia
Gov. Kemp has extended the State of Emergency order for all counties in Georgia, to assist with response efforts from Tropical Storm Debby's impact. The State of Emergency went into effect at 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 3, and will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 15.
− Erica Van Buren
2:45 p.m. Wednesday | Flood watch continues for North Augusta, Aiken
Live storm tracker: See Debby's path
A flood watch remains in effect through Friday morning for Burke and Aiken counties, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS noted specific cities that could flood include Waynesboro, North Augusta and Aiken.
"Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations," according to the NWS. "Extensive street flooding and flooding of creeks and rivers are possible."
− Alexandra Koch
9:30 a.m. Wednesday | Augusta 'seeing least impact from Debby'
"The Augusta area is seeing the least impact from Debby," said Richard Okulski, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Columbia, South Carolina. "Debby is expected to move inland tonight into Thursday."
Okulski said the greatest impact on the Augusta area will be to the east.
"So we're looking at maybe another inch or 2 of rain at most in the Augusta area with the rest of this event," he said. "Then it'll move out starting Thursday night and certainly by Friday. We'll see the weather starting to clear. We'll see a significant improvement in weather conditions."
The forecast on Wednesday includes a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m., with a high near 88 degrees.
− Erica Van Buren
9 a.m. Wednesday | Augusta area receives nearly 6 inches of rain
The National Weather Service announced total rainfall amounts in the Augusta area, associated with Tropical Storm Debby.
The SRS had the highest total rainfall amount over the last 24 hours, as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, with a recorded 5.21 inches, according to the NWS.
Here are the total rainfall amounts across the Augusta area, as of Tuesday night:
Richmond County
- Southeast Augusta: 1.41 inches
- Augusta Bush Field Airport: 1.31 inches
- Fort Eisenhower: 1.27 inches
Burke County
- Girard: 4.19 inches
- Waynesboro Brier Cr: 3.79 inches
- Midville: 2.97 inches
Aiken County
- SRS - Savannah River: 5.21 inches
- Wagener: 3.42 inches
Barnwell County
- SRS - SAVRAW: 5.97 inches
- Clemson Edisto Blackville: 4.01 inches
− Alexandra Koch
7:15 p.m. Tuesday | Flood warning issued for Waynesboro
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Waynesboro, effective until 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Waynesboro residents should move immediately to higher ground and avoid walking or driving through flood waters, according to the NWS.
− Alexandra Koch
6:30 p.m. Tuesday | Nearly 1,000 without power in Aiken County
Nearly 1,000 Aiken Electric Co-op customers are without power after an outage near Williston in Aiken County.
The outage started just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and is effecting 958 customers, according to the company's live outage map.
As of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, power was not yet restored.
− Alexandra Koch
5:40 p.m. Tuesday | Georgia EMA reports flooding in Appling, Burke counties
Just after 5:15 p.m., Georgia EMA reported what appears to be major flooding in parts of Appling, Burke and Bullock counties.
"Please remember to move to high ground away from rivers, streams, creeks and storm drains," GEMA noted in a social media post.
− Alexandra Koch
3:15 p.m. Tuesday | Minor flooding observed in downtown Augusta
By noon, there was minor flooding in downtown Augusta – near Broad and Reynolds streets.
Rain stopped briefly in the early afternoon, before picking back up at about 2:45 p.m.
As of 3:15 p.m., no major power outages were reported in Richmond, Columbia, Burke or Aiken counties.
− Alexandra Koch
12:10 p.m. Tuesday | Augusta weather update
The forecast shows Tropical Storm Debby making landfall up in South Carolina, northeast of Charleston on Thursday, according to experts with the National Weather Service.
"It'll meander ... just off the South Carolina coast," said Chris Liscinsky, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Columbia, South Carolina. "It'll start moving inland Thursday. The heavy rainfall threat will still be there. Heavy rainfall and flooding is still a threat in and around Augusta. We expect an increase in rainfall later on this afternoon."
Liscinsky said the general wind threat, as far as tropical storm force winds, is very minimal across the Augusta area.
"We aren't ruling out some wind gusts throughout this afternoon," he said.
− Erica Van Buren
12:10 p.m. Tuesday | Tips to prepare for a storm
- Monitor the weather:Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for updates.
- Know your risk: Determine if your home, business, or school is in a floodplain, and where water might collect on your travel routes.
- Develop a plan:Create a family evacuation plan.
- Protect your property:Take steps to minimize flood damage, such as elevating and anchoring utilities, waterproofing your basem*nt, clearing debris from gutters, and elevating or moving furniture.
- Know your area’s flood risk. If unsure, call your local emergency management agency or planning and zoning department, or visit FloodSmart.
- Familiarize yourself with the terms that are used to identify a flood.
- A flood watch means widespread flooding is possible in your area. Be prepared to evacuate. A watch is issued for flooding that is expected to occur six to 12 hours after the heavy rains have ended.
- A flood warning means a flood is expected in your area within six to 12 hours. If local authorities advise you to evacuate, do so immediately.
- Get a Ready kit and prepare a portable Ready kit in case you have to evacuate. Plan how you will leave and where you will go if you are advised to evacuate.
Augusta Fire chief on the storm:Augusta activates emergency response protocols ahead of Tropical Storm Debby
