Florida's major east-west interstate was cut off Tuesday by Tropical Storm Debby flooding, while one county had already seen 26.2 inches of rain -- topping the official forecast calling for up to 25 inches in a few areas by the time Debby moves out Thursday.
Flash flood warnings were issued for parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia as Debby crawled eastward at just 3 mph.
"This thing is going nowhere fast," said TODAY show meteorologist Al Roker, noting that Debby had no steering currents to guide it. "There's nothing really to kick this thing out."
Parts of Interstate 10 in north Florida were closed due to flooding on a 50-mile stretch east of where I-10 crosses I-75, the Associated Press reported. The Florida Highway Patrol warned motorists to use extreme caution on other parts of the highway.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been impacted, many having to leave flooded homes in Florida's Panhandle on Monday and others losing power or having property hit by twisters.
Wakulla County, Fla., has seen 26.2 inches of rain, weather.com said in a Twitter alert. Authorities there advised people to stay in their homes due to washed out and flooded roads.
Video: TODAY tracks Debby: 'Going nowhere fast'In Tampa Bay, a mother manatee was found dead in the water Tuesday off Bayshore Boulevard. Her two calves, which were still alive and later rescued, washed ashore along the flooded road.
Tropical-storm warnings remained in effect for 450 miles of coastline from the Panhandle's Mexico Beach to Englewood, south of Sarasota. Debby is expected to make landfall on Wednesday.
On Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a statewide emergency as Debby dumped five inches of rain hourly in some areas.
President Barack Obama called Scott on Tuesday and the federal government stands "ready to provide additional assistance if necessary," the White House said.
St. Marks, Fla., saw 21 inches in a two-day period while other areas got around 20 inches, weather.com noted.
Parts of Live Oak, Fla., were evacuated Tuesday due to flooding, it added.
Some areas of northern Florida and southeast Georgia could see up to 15 inches of rain Tuesday through Thursday, weather.com stated.
The National Hurricane Center predicted parts of northern Florida could see 25 inches of rain by the time Debby crosses Florida and exits into the Atlantic. That should happen by early Friday, Roker said.
Weather.com noted that 2012 broke the record for the most named storms so early in the Atlantic season. Debby makes four so far, "leapfrogging Dennis from July 5, 2005.
"In an average year, the fourth named storm would have occurred by August 23," it added. "In terms of named storm counts, we're roughly two months ahead of the pace. That said, there is no correlation between a fast start to the season and the degree of activity of the rest of the season."
Debby was also the first tropical storm of the season to enter the Gulf of Mexico.
Debby earlier left tens of thousands of people without power and forced the closure of key highways and bridges in the Tampa Bay area.
Debby has also spawned some 20 twisters, including one on Sunday that killed a woman, injured her daughter and tore through homes in central Florida's rural Highlands County.
WFLA-TV reported Heather Town died when her home was lifted off its foundation and she and her 3-year-old were thrown into nearby woods. The mother was found clutching the child, who survived.
In Starke, Fla., five dogs drowned early Monday when a swollen creek flooded an animal shelter, The Florida Times-Union reported.
Pinellas County saw flooding and at least 20 homes damaged during a tornado-like storm on Sunday.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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