page_title: Tropical Storm Debby (2012)
section_title: Central Florida
hierarchical_section_title: Tropical Storm Debby (2012) / Impact / Florida / Central Florida
caption_attribution_description: English: Overview of storm rotation tracks and preliminary tornado reports associated with Tropical Storm Debby in Florida, June 24, 2012.
context_page_description: Tropical Storm Debby caused extensive flooding in North Florida and Central Florida during late June 2012. The fourth tropical cyclone and named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Debby developed from a trough of low pressure in the central Gulf of Mexico on June 23. The formation of Debby marked the earliest formation on record of the fourth named storm within the Atlantic basin until this record was beaten by Tropical Storm Danielle in 2016. Despite a projected track toward landfall in Louisiana or Texas, the storm headed the opposite direction, moving slowly north-northeast and northeastward. The storm slowly strengthened, and at 1800 UTC on June 25, attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. Dry air, westerly wind shear, and upwelling of cold waters prevented further intensification over the next 24 hours. Instead, Debby weakened, and by late on June 26, it was a minimal tropical storm. At 2100 UTC, the storm made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida with winds of 40 mph. Once inland, the system continued to weaken while crossing Florida, and dissipated shortly after emerging into the Atlantic on June 27.
context_section_description: In Levy County, tropical storm force winds were felt along the coast. Heavy rainfall was reported across the county, with the CoCoRaHS site near Chiefland of receiving 13.42 inches (341 mm). At Cedar Key, tides reached 6.78 feet (2.07 m) mean lower low water on June 25. The highest storm surge was estimated to have peaked at 4.49 feet (1.37 m) mean lower low water. A few buildings were flooded by the storm surge at Cedar Key and Yankeetown. In total, damage to public property was approximately $175,000. Rainfall was generally above 9 inches (230 mm) across Citrus County, and peaked at 12.07 inches (307 mm) near Hernando. Several homes were flooded with 1 to 3 feet (0.30 to 0.91 m) of water. Significant street flooding was reported at Kings Bay, while several streets were inundated by up to 2 feet (0.61 m) of water in Homosassa. Overall, damage was minor, reaching about $127,000. The storm dropped heavy rainfall in Hernando County, with 15.53 inches (394 mm) in Spring Hill. A portion of State Road 589 was shutdown between State Road 50 and U.S. Route 98, with as much as 5 feet (1.5 m) of standing water on that stretch of the highway. Along the Anclote and Pithlachascotee Rivers in Pasco County, emergency managers ordered mandatory evacuations for 14,000–20,000 people as the rivers rose dramatically. The Anclote River rose from 9 ft (2.7 m) to 27 ft (8.2 m), well above major flood stage, leaving surrounding areas in "head-deep" water. At least 106 homes in the county were damaged by flood waters. Additionally, a tornado near New Port Richey caused major damage to five homes. Throughout the county, damage to private property was $1.5 million, while public property losses were estimated at $26 million. 
  A man drowned near Lake Dorr in Lake County after his canoe capsized along a river in Ocala National Forest. In Polk County, a woman died after her car hydroplaned on a flooded road. Another person drowned on a river in the after his canoe capsized; however, it is unknown whether or not his death was attributable to Debby. Throughout Polk County, 115 homes were damaged, mainly as a result of tornadoes, and losses were estimated at $5 million. A tornado in Hardee County felled several trees and damaged a tractor and a barn. In Glades County, one tornado caused minor roof damage to a barn in Muse, while the other resulted in no effects. In Highlands County, four homes were destroyed and twenty-four more were damaged to varying degrees by two tornadoes. Losses in the county reached approximately $1.4 million. Several homes were damaged by the two twisters in Highlands County, with one resulting in a fatality near Venus. In St. Petersburg, a gust of 45 mph (72 km/h) was observed, while 1.88 inches (48 mm) of rain fell in a one-hour period. With the substantial loss of beaches, tourism in the region is expected to suffer significantly. Portions of Upham Beach in Pinellas County were completely eroded up to the seawall and other areas in that county had lost 20 to 30 ft (6.1 to 9.1 m) of sand. On Treasure Island, coastal dunes were eroded by 10 to 15 ft (3.0 to 4.6 m). In Pass-a-Grille, Debby's storm surge flooded coastal hotels with ankle-deep water as the dunes were washed away. Throughout St. Pete Beach, 30–40 homes were damaged by a tornado spawned by Debby. Losses throughout the city were estimated at $1.5 million. In Hillsborough County, wind gusts of 39 to 51 mph (63 to 82 km/h) were measured at MacDill Air Force Base. Rainfall was at least 5 inches (130 mm) across much of the county and peaked at 11.91 inches (303 mm) near Citrus Park. The storm damage 74 buildings, 6 of which were destroyed. The highest storm surge was estimated to have reached 4.07 feet (1.24 m) in height. As a result, portions of Bay Shore Boulevard were inundated for three days.
  On Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, water reached the retention walls of several condos, some of which were undermined, allowing water to enter beach-side pools. The most significant losses were on the south side of the island where up to half of the dunes were lost. In Sara
caption: Mesocyclone tracks associated with the outer rainbands of Tropical Storm Debby across Florida on June 24.
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