America braces for 19 major storms as

Meanwhile, Debby continues her rampage up the east coast which is braced for torrential rain, winds, floods and a deadly sea surge.

The tropical storm is forecast to stall enroute, sucking energy from the tropical ocean waters ahead of the weekend before possibly reclassifying as a hurricane.

Weather Channel spokesman Chris DeWeese said: “Tropical Storm Debby has slowed to a crawl off the Southeast coast, and its flooding rain threat will continue in that region the next couple of days while also spreading toward the mid-Atlantic and Northeast by Friday.

“Charleston, South Carolina, has been inundated with up to 14 inches of rain from former Hurricane Debby, causing severe flooding that overtook streets, sidewalks, and front yards.”

Debby, which at the weekend burgeoned into the second hurricane of the season, followed on the heels of deadly Hurricane Beryl which struck in July.

Meteorologists say this year could see an unusually active hurricane season, with another 19 possible before winter.

They blame El Nino–a warming of the eastern Pacific–and its possible swing into La Nina later this year.

Warmer than average sea temperatures, simmering during a blistering heatwave hitting the region, are also to blame.

DeWeese said: “It is time for seatbelts fastened, this Atlantic hurricane season has a long way to go.

“Colorado State University released its final seasonal forecast, and they are still predicting an extremely active season, with 23 named storms.

“Since we’re only up to ‘Debby’, that means, if their forecast holds true, we’re in for 19 more over the next few months.”

The Atlantic hurricane season, strongest from August to October, is expected to ‘ramp up’ through the coming weeks.

The next three months will see the risk of ‘stronger hurricanes’ in the region as conditions favour their development.

Weather Channel meteorologist Chris Dolce said: “We’re about to enter the busy phase of Atlantic hurricane season.

“The Atlantic hurricane season is typically most active from August into October, and a large majority of stronger hurricanes develop in these three months.

“We’ve arrived at the peak months of Atlantic hurricane season, and that typically means a sharp increase not only in storms, but also in the risk of US landfalls.”

Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services and co-author of ‘Surviving Extreme Weather’, said: “It is likely, and I think they are expecting, a bunch of these things over the next few weeks

“During the season, there is likely to be an increase in frequency of hurricanes, and this is a consequence of the changing climate and the increase in energy in the oceans which drive them.

“It is, though, the frequency that we are looking at and not necessarily the power of the storms.”The National Weather Service (NOAA) has warnings for gusty winds and torrential rain in force along the east coast.

A spokesman said: “Tropical Storm Debby is forecast to restrengthen a bit and re-curve toward the Southeast before making landfall along the central South Carolina coast.”