Hurricane Debby (2024)
DECADE-RECORD 24-HOUR DELUGE
Hurricane Debby (August 2024)
STATION: KTPA • ALL-TIME 24-HOUR RECORD RAIN: 16.14 INCHES
16.14 in
24-Hr Record Rain
All-time decade daily record
29.70 inHg
Lowest Pressure
1005.8 hPa on Aug 4
29.0 mph
Peak Sustained Wind
Moisture train squalls
Historic High
River Basin Flooding
Alafia & Hillsborough Rivers
Synoptic Evolution: The Tropical Moisture Conveyor
On August 4, 2024, Tropical Storm Debby intensified into a Category 1 hurricane in the northeastern Gulf before making landfall near Steinhatchee. Because Debby was a sprawling, slow-moving system, its eastern circulation tapped into an atmospheric river of deep equatorial moisture.
This persistent moisture train stalled directly over west-central Florida, setting up stationary training thunderstorms that poured unprecedented deluges over Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
Meteorological Telemetry at KTPA
Debby broke one of the most significant meteorological records in Tampa’s 10-year archive:
- All-Time 10-Year 24-Hour Rainfall Record: Over a single 24-hour observation window on August 4, KTPA recorded a staggering 16.14 inches of rain—more than doubling any previous single-day rainfall event in the modern archive.
- Extreme Urban and River Flooding: The torrent overwhelmed stormwater drainage across Tampa, flooding major interstates and driving the Hillsborough, Alafia, and Little Manatee rivers into major flood stages that lasted for over a week.
- Pressure and Wind Profile: Station pressure dipped to 29.70 inHg with sustained winds reaching 29 mph, demonstrating that rain devastation can vastly outpace wind hazard in slow-moving tropical systems.
Hurricane Debby Landfall: Shape, Rotation & Wind Circulation
The interactive simulation below reconstructs Hurricane Debby at mainland Florida landfall near Steinhatchee (Cat 1, 80 mph). It visualizes the storm’s extensive spiral rainband conveyor, counter-clockwise rotation, and the resulting tropical moisture plume that dumped a record 16.14 inches of rain on Tampa.
REAL-TIME ROTATION SIMULATOR
Hurricane Debby: Animated Cloud Formation & Cyclonic Wind Field
Interactive 60fps canvas simulation: counter-clockwise cyclonic spin of convective cloud bands and wind field points with inward surface inflow deflection.
NoteExplore More Weather Crises
Return to the Natural Disasters Overview to view the full 10-year timeline, comparison tables, and summaries of all major storms.