Tropical Storm Debby (2012)

Basin

North Atlantic

Dates

June 23, 2012 to June 27, 2012

Peak strength

Tropical Storm, 55 kt (63 mph)

Lowest pressure

990 mb (29.23 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

2.8

Tropical-storm-force wind reached

220 nmi (407 km, 253 mi) from the center at its widest

Eyewall radius at its peak

25 nmi (46 km, 29 mi)

Overall size

300 nmi (556 km, 345 mi) to the outermost closed isobar

Peak gust in the best track

60 kt (69 mph)

Fastest the center moved

11 kt (13 mph)

Identifier

AL042012

Radar at KTLH as it neared land, Jun 26, 21:00 UTC

The sources count different things and are not added together.

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

8 (8 direct, 0 indirect)

Injuries

9

Property damage

$40 million

Crop damage

none recorded

Events recorded

208 in 15 reports from 5 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

54 heavy rain, 35 marine thunderstorm wind, 25 tornado, 20 flash flood, 20 tropical storm, 16 thunderstorm wind, 14 flood, 14 storm surge/tide, 3 funnel cloud, 3 waterspout, 2 rip current, 1 coastal flood, 1 strong wind.

25 tornadoes and 3 waterspouts recorded in the United States, strongest first.

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 1,344 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 28.78 inches (731 mm).

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

A strong thunderstorm produced a wind gust of 40 knots...46 mph...at the Fowey Rocks C-Man station. Height of anemometer is 144 feet above sea level.

Deerfield Beach To Ocean Reef Fl, Atlantic South · Marine Thunderstorm Wind · Jun 23, 22:59 UTC

The WeatherFlow mesonet site near St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant recorded a peak wind gust of 36 knots as a thunderstorm moved north along the barrier island.

Sebastian Inlet To Jupiter Inlet 0-20nm, Atlantic South · Marine Thunderstorm Wind · Jun 24, 23:55 UTC

A trained spotter reported a waterspout off the Pass-a-Grille shore moving northeast towards the coast. The circulation continued onshore as a tornado causing moderate damage to the Pass-a-Grill Marina and destroying the top floor of a tourist rental building.

Englewood To Tarpon Springs Fl Out 20nm, Gulf of Mexico · Waterspout · Jun 25, 00:15 UTC

Widespread flooding occurred across Starke. At 7 am on 6/25, emergency management reported several roads under water in the city including Bessent Road near Valley Road, Colley Road near the Hospital, NE 14th Ave, NE 17th Ave, SR 230 and at SR 16 and Old Lawtey Road. At 7:38 am, Alligator Creek over flowed with several homes threatened by flood waters. U.S. Highway 301 was closed from State Road 16 to Market Road due to flooding. Additional flooding concerns included North Water Street, East Mimosa Drive and Branford Drive in Starked. Flood control gates on Lake Sampson were opened due to high lake levels. There were 7 inches of rainfall during the past 24 hours across the county. At 8:47 am, a co-operative observer in Starked measured 6.5 inches of rainfall in the past 24 hours. The cost of damage was estimated, and it is likely greatly under-estimated.

Bradford, Florida · Flood · Jun 25, 11:00 UTC

Flooding impacted much of Suwannee County. On 6/25 at 7:30 pm, law enforcement reported flooding at U.S. Highway 90 at County Road 137 in Wellborn. The intersection was closed due to deep water. At 7:30 pm, the public reported 8.5 inches of water accumulation in Live Oak. At the same time, a trained spotter reported reported streets were beginning to flood due to ditches over-flowing toward the roadway in Live Oak. At 8:02 pm, law enforcement reported a tree was blown down in the right lane of Interstate 10 near mile marker 292 due to saturated grounds and gusty winds. On 6/28 at 10:23 am, an NWS Storm Survey reported a sinkhole 1 block from the Intersection of Highway 90 and State Road 129. A few structures were in danger of being engulfed into the expanding sinkhole. The cost of damage was estimated and is likely grossly under-estimated.

Suwannee, Florida · Flood · Jun 25, 23:30 UTC

Heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby led to one foot of water flowing through the parking lot of the Sonny's restaurant in Lake Park, GA.

Lowndes, Georgia · Flash Flood · Jun 26, 00:30 UTC

A former NWS employee measured 5.70 inches of rainfall within 24 hours. The 48 rainfall total at his location thus far was 11.70 inches.

Camden, Georgia · Heavy Rain · Jun 26, 10:30 UTC

• Tropical Storm AlbertoNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm50 kt · 995 mb
• Tropical Storm BerylNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm60 kt · 992 mb
• Hurricane ChrisNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 175 kt · 974 mb
• Hurricane ErnestoNorth Atlantic · 2012 · 12 deathsCat 285 kt · 973 mb
• Tropical Storm FlorenceNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm50 kt · 1002 mb
• Tropical Storm HeleneNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm40 kt · 1004 mb
• Hurricane GordonNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 295 kt · 965 mb
• Hurricane IsaacNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 170 kt · 965 mb
• Tropical Storm JoyceNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm35 kt · 1006 mb
• Hurricane LeslieNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 170 kt · 968 mb
• Hurricane KirkNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 290 kt · 970 mb
• Hurricane MichaelNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 3100 kt · 964 mb
• Hurricane NadineNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 180 kt · 978 mb
• Tropical Storm OscarNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm45 kt · 994 mb
• Tropical Storm PattyNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm40 kt · 1005 mb
• Hurricane RafaelNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 180 kt · 966 mb
• Hurricane SandyNorth Atlantic · 2012 · 254 deaths · $69 billionCat 3100 kt · 940 mb
• Tropical Storm TonyNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm45 kt · 1000 mb

A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.

Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.

• Tropical cyclone report, National Hurricane Center
• Every advisory and discussion NHC issued while it was live
• Best track as KMZ, National Hurricane Center
• Wikipedia article: Tropical Storm Debby