Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Tropical Storm Debby has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane ahead of its anticipated landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Monday, U.S. forecasters said late Sunday.The storm’s maximum winds had increased to 75 mph at 11 p.m. ET, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane was about 65 miles west of Cedar Key, Florida, and about 100 miles west of Tampa, and it was moving north at about 12 mph, the center said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 counties expected to be affected by the storm. In a statement, his office said that 3,000 National Guard members have been mobilized to assist with storm response, sandbags were being distributed and Florida’s emergency operations center has been activated.Debby is expected to continue strengthening before it reaches the Big Bend coast Monday, weakening after it moves inland across northern Florida and southern Georgia, the hurricane center said. Tom Street, left, and Dan Norman place plywood over the windows of a business Sunday as they prepare for the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Debby in Cedar Key, Fla.Joe Raedle / Getty ImagesThe hurricane is forecast to bring a storm surge of 2 to 10 feet in certain areas, and heavy rain through Friday morning.Parts of central and northern Florida and southeastern North Carolina could get 6 to 12 inches of rain, with up to 18 inches possible. And parts of southeast Georgia and South Carolina could get 10 to 20 inches of rain, with up to 30 inches in some areas, the hurricane center said. Tropical storm conditions are expected to continue along parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast through Sunday night, in addition to hurricane conditions along the coast from the Suwannee River to Yankeetown.A sign warns of a storm surge Sunday before the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Debby in Cedar Key, Fla.Joe Raedle / Getty ImagesOfficials in and around the coastal Carolinas were preparing for the storm to bring unprecedented rain to parts of the region, with Charleston, South Carolina-area officials saying as much as 30 inches could fall starting Monday.Evacuation orders for at least a half-dozen Florida counties were either in effect or planned for Monday as the storm approached. High-water rescues were already taking place in Pinellas County, Florida, as storm surges and heavy rains caused flooding, the county emergency management agency said.Florida Highway Patrol officers on Sunday night closed Skyway Bridge in St. Petersberg amid high winds, according to a statement. The University of South Florida in St. Petersberg and the University of Florida in Gainesville, in the northern half of the state, said they would be closed Monday.The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office in the state’s Big Bend region issued a statement urging residents to “use extreme caution” if they must travel the area’s roads when as much as 15 inches of rain was expected in a short timespan.DeSantis compared Debby’s path to that of Hurricane Idalia, the Category 4 storm that caused significant damage in north Florida last year.Debby won’t have winds as strong as Idalia’s, but it will bring much more moisture, DeSantis said Sunday afternoon. Elizabeth Maline, Josh Cradduck and Michelle Acevedo contributed.
