Hurricane Debby: Storm washes $1M in cocaine ashore

Hurricane Debby made landfall in Florida just before 7 a.m. Monday.

The hurricane came onshore near Horseshoe Beach in Dixie County with maximum sustained winds of about 80 mph, WFTV reported. It is the same region that Hurricane Idalia hit last year as a Category 3, about 20 miles away, CNN reported.

$1M in cocaine; four people killed

Update 2:33 p.m. ET, Aug. 5: Officials said that 25 packages of cocaine washed ashore thanks to now Tropical Storm Debby, CNN reported. Customs and Border Patrol said a good Samaritan found the drugs on a beach in Islamorada, Florida, and alerted law enforcement. The cocaine weighed about 70 pounds and was worth about $1 million.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds on Monday afternoon were about 65 mph and is moving north-northwest at 7 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. Wind at the center of the tropical storm can be as high as 140 mph, CNN reported.

Two people were killed in a crash in Dixie County, Florida when it lost control because of “inclement weather and wet roadway,” NBC News reported.

A tractor-trailer driver died after his 18-wheeler fell into the Tampa Bypass Canal early Monday morning. The trailer was hung up on the bridge, but the cab came off and fell into the canal. The cab was found 40 feet below the surface with the driver dead inside.

Earlier it was reported that a 13-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a mobile home.

Images from the storm

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Hurricane Debby CEDAR KEY, FLORIDA - AUGUST 05: Christy Hatcher checks on her neighborhood as high winds, rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby inundate the area on August 05, 2024, in Cedar Key, Florida. Hurricane Debby brings rain storms and high winds along Florida’s Big Bend area. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Downgraded to tropical storm

Update 11:03 a.m. ET, Aug 5: Debby has been downgraded to a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. The peak winds are at about 70 mph, The Washington Post reported. Still, there could be “catastrophic” flooding in southeast Georgia and South Carolina.

The storm has killed at least one person, a 13-year-old boy. A tree fell onto a mobile him, killing him in Levy County, Florida, ABC News reported. The sheriff’s office reminded residents, “Downed powerlines and falling trees are among the many hazards. One life is too many. Please be safe.”

Power outages and flight cancelations

Update 7:33 a.m. ET, Aug. 5: More than 200,000 homes and businesses in Florida are without power, CNN reported. Most of those affected are in Dixie and Taylor counties.

The storm has also brought hundreds of flight delays and cancelations, according to FlightAware.

Original report: The storm is expected to bring surges and flooding as it moves north-northwest at 10 mph. There was also a tornado watch in portions of Florida and Georgia.

Once it brings wind and rain in Florida it is expected to stall over Georgia and South Carolina coastal regions, The Associated Press reported. It may bring rainfall as much as 30 inches with flooding potentially lasting through Friday.

“There’s some really amazing rainfall totals being forecast and amazing in a bad way,” Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said. “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.”

“Right now, we are to trying secure everything from floating away,” Sheryl Horne said. Horne’s family owns Shell Island Fish Camp in St. Marks, Florida. “I am used to storms and I’m used to cleaning up after storms.”

Debby is the fourth named storm of the hurricane season.

After the storm batters Florida, its remnants will likely move up over Georgia and the Carolinas, according to Severe Weather Center 9. Some areas could see nearly 2 feet of rain.

We will not be getting anywhere close to that much rain near Charlotte, but some steadier downpours are possible from Debby later this week. It all depends on where the storm ends up.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any clear consensus in the model data. Some data suggest we see up to 4 to 7 inches of rain, others show much less.

As the forecast changes, we'll keep this story updated with the latest information.

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