Weather

Tropical Storm Debby forms in Gulf, marks storm milestone

Tropical Storm Debby formed in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday, the first time since 1851 that four storms have formed before July.

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Debby Tracking - 5 Day
RALEIGH, N.C. — Tropical Storm Debby formed in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday, the first time since 1851 that four storms have formed before July.

Forecasters say Debby will bring rain to the Gulf coast from southern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. It has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, and a tropical storm warning has been issued for part of the Louisiana coast.

Debby is expected to bring up to 6 inches of rain along the coast, with isolated amounts of 10 inches.

"(Debby is) a little bit unorganized right now," said WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth. "Some (models) take it to the west, some of them take it to the north, some of them take it over Florida and out into the Atlantic, so the models just simply are not agreeing as to what this storm is going to do."

If Debby does effect North Carolina, the state could get some rain around the middle of the week, according to WRAL meteorologist Nate Johnson.

In the Triangle and surrounding areas, heat has been the main weather story. On Saturday, temperatures topped out in the 90s for the fifth day in a row.

Temperatures will hover around the 90-degree mark Sunday and Monday, and afternoon showers are possible both days. 

"We'll get a glancing blow of some cooler weather on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the heat begins to roar back on Wednesday," Johnson said. "Some of the long-range models are suggesting we could see upper 90s and even triple digits by the end of next week."

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