Debby now a hurricane, threatens Florida, other parts of U.S. southeast

Debby strengthened into a hurricane late Sunday as it bore down on Florida’s Gulf Coast with potential for history-making levels of rain and major flooding, prompting evacuation orders.

Debby grew rapidly into a Category One hurricane, the lowest on a five-stage scale, thanks to unusually warm Gulf of Mexico and is expected to slam into Florida’s Big Bend region around mid-day Monday.

The National Hurricane Center warned there is a danger of life-threatening storm surges along Florida’s...