Debby, now a tropical storm, soaks northern Florida

A truck drives through high water in the the Shore Acres neighborhood located on the Tampa Bay while Tropical Storm Debby moves up the gulf coast in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S., August 4, 2024. REUTERS/Octavio Jones

STEINHATCHEE, Florida (Reuters) -Tropical Storm Debby drenched northern Florida on Monday and killed several people as the downgraded hurricane churned toward Georgia and the Carolinas, threatening a week of torrential downpours and flooding across the region.

The slow-moving storm plowed into Florida's Gulf Coast around 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) on Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane, making landfall near Steinhatchee about 70 miles (115 km) southeast of Tallahassee, the National Hurricane Center said.