THE Tropical Storm Debbie strengthened to a hurricane last Sunday night and continues to approach its west coast threateningly Floridawhich is expected to hit around noon today (local time), raising the risk of “historic” rainfall, according to the US Hurricane Center (NHC).

The NHC is now classifying Debbie as a hurricane and is warning against threatened “major-scale flooding” in the southeastern part of the country during the current week.

Debbie is currently a category 1 hurricane, in other words still at the bottom of the five-point scale.

However, emergency evacuation orders were issued for residents of Florida counties, according to media reports.

“Take the situation seriously,” said Hernando County’s fire chief and public safety official. “We know the water level will rise as Debbie moves through.”

The NHC is warning of a deadly storm risk along Florida’s west coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

Director Mike Brennan urged residents to “find safe shelter before night falls.”

Florida’s governor, Ron DeSandis, cited danger mainly for “the central and northern” part of the state.

Debbie will produce “torrential rains, potentially historic” over the next few days as it moves toward Georgia and South Carolina (southeast), according to the NHC.

At 11:00 p.m. (local time; 06:00 today Greek time), the hurricane, which was rapidly strengthening due to abnormally high temperatures in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, was located 160 kilometers west-northwest of Tampa, according to the NHC. It is moving in a northerly direction covering almost 20 kilometers per hour, accompanied by winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, according to the same source.

Debbie may produce tornadoes, forecasters warn.

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida on Sunday, freeing up federal resources to help local authorities.

The governors of Georgia and South Carolina also declared states of emergency.

In July, Category 5 Hurricane Beryl — extremely early — hit the southern US, killing eight people.

According to forecasts by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the hurricane season in the North Atlantic Ocean, which runs from the beginning of June to the end of November, is expected to be extremely difficult this year due to high temperatures in ocean waters, which feed phenomena of this kind.