Tropical Storm Debby To Bring Much-needed Rain To Mountain State

Tropical Storm Debby is expected to hit the Eastern Panhandle of the state Thursday night and drop 1 to 3 inches of rain through Friday. 

Joe Curtis, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said the storm is headed towards the worst drought affected part of the state. 

“It’s probably not going to be enough to completely get rid of the drought, but it certainly is going to be very helpful,” Curtis said. 

The National Weather Service said in July that it would take 7-8 inches of a soaking rain to lift the region out of its extreme drought. 

Curtis said the rain will be mainly beneficial to the state with low risks for severe weather. However, he says flooding and lightning is possible. 

“The main hazardous weather risk is going to be the chance for localized flooding, especially low lying areas and on streets,” Curtis said. “And if we do get some heavier thunderstorms that move over urban areas, that could potentially bring localized flooding.”

With the soil being extremely dry in the Eastern Panhandle, weather and climate experts are keeping a close eye on the ground to watch for rain absorption.

“We’re going to have to watch out closely and kind of monitor how the soil is accepting the water as it comes on down,” Curtis said.   

Curtis said the central region of the state has a 40 percent chance of getting some of the precipitation from Tropical Storm Debby.