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As of 6:15 a.m. Thursday, the first rainfall courtesy of Tropical Storm Debby reached Farmville. Rain showers started and are only expected to get heavier as the day continues, with wind gusts reaching between 20 to 30 mph. 

Out of caution, a number of schools have shut down for at least Thursday, while others went remote. A reminder that not all schools in the region started back this week. For most, the first day for students was already planned to be next Monday, so not much changes. Most businesses, churches and other operations in our coverage area say they’re employing a ‘wait and see’ approach for Friday meetings and other events, as the storm’s track shifts. 

Prince Edward Public Schools – Schools are closed for both students and teachers on Thursday. Also, all after-school and evening activities have been canceled. 

Cumberland County Public Schools – Cumberland classes will be operating remotely on Thursday. Teachers provided information to students about how to access remote learning before the school day ended on Wednesday. District officials say they’ll make a decision about Friday as soon as possible. 

Buckingham County Public Schools – Thursday’s open house schedule has changed. All schools will now host an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Back to School Carnival set for Pre-K through 5th Grade, originally planned for this Friday, has been canceled. 

Charlotte County Public Schools – All schools and offices will be closed on Thursday, Aug. 8. 

Lunenburg County Public Schools — District officials have put a ‘wait and see’ approach in place. The Open House scheduled for Thursday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in all schools will still take place, as will Central High’s freshman orientation. That will be split into two sessions, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Room 104 at the high school.

Impact of Tropical Storm Debby 

As mentioned above, yes, Tropical Storm Debby has shifted west. Does that change anything for this area? Not much, said the National Weather Service (NWS) in their early Thursday briefing. The only difference is the heaviest rain will be to the west. 

“A plethora of impacts will be seen today and Friday from Tropical Storm Debby, (with) heavier rainfall overspreading throughout today and into tonight,” NWS officials in the Wakefield office said in Thursday’s update. “There will also be a threat for a few tornadoes. Winds will gradually increase, becoming gusty overnight.” 

As it stands, the majority of Debby is expected now to pass by Farmville and the surrounding area by Thursday night, roughly around 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. While there is only a small risk now for tornadoes in this area, Farmville and the surrounding counties are still in the “moderate” range, when it comes to flooding risk.

The biggest concern from NWS officials and power companies is the combination of saturated ground, already soaked, with wind gusts. The concern is that it won’t take much to knock down trees and powerlines in some areas. According to officials from Southside Electric Cooperative, the company has teams on standby, with more contract work crews available if needed to respond to outages. 

Officials are also asking residents across the region to avoid going out Thursday night if possible. That’s mainly due to potential for flooding, with some water on the roads unable to be seen due to low light.

How much rain will fall?

Officials are also asking residents across the region to avoid going out Thursday night if possible. That’s mainly due to potential for flooding, with some water on the roads unable to be seen due to low light.

Even with the shift, this area could see between 3 to 6 inches of rain fall between now and Saturday morning. There’s roughly an 80% chance of rain measuring one to two inches this afternoon. As far as tonight goes, the chance of rain is 100%, with an estimated two to three inches more falling. 

Then there’s another 80% chance of rain Friday with between a quarter and a half inch of rain possible. 

The good news? After this, Saturday’s forecast looks lovely, with highs in the 80s and clear conditions.