easterly wave moved into the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea due to the influence of an upper-level trough. The wave organized and spawned a weak area of circulation which developed into a tropical storm by 0600 UTC on September 7. Moving steadily towards the northeast at roughly , Debbie only marginally strengthened due to the presence of cooler air entrainment. Late on September 8, Debbie made landfall near Fort Walton Beach, Florida as a minimal tropical storm with winds of . A minimum barometric pressure of 1005 mbar (hPa; 29.68 inHg) was recorded in Pensacola, Florida. The tropical storm weakened as it moved over land, degenerating to a tropical depression on September 9. The system became increasingly diffuse, and later merged with strong weather systems by 0600 UTC later that day. Offshore, the tropical storm generated high tides above average in Apalachee Bay, located about east of where Debbie made landfall. The strong surf caused some localized flooding. In St. Marks, Florida, a station recorded maximum sustained winds of , the highest measured in association with the storm. However, a station in Tampa, Florida recorded a peak wind gust of in a squall. Heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding, though rainfall was mostly beneficial to crops. Rainfall peaked at in Wewahitchka, Florida, while precipitation was reported as far north as Pennsylvania. The tropical storm only caused minor damage, but was indirectly responsible for four deaths. Tropical Storm Esther On September 12, a mid-level circulation area formed over Nicaragua and slowly drifted northeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. As it entered the Gulf, the system developed thunderstorm activity and an area of low pressure, and as a result the Weather Bureau began initiating advisories on a newly formed tropical depression on September 16. The depression quickly intensified and attained tropical storm strength. Esther continued to strengthened, reaching a minimum pressure of 1000 mbar (hPa; 29.53 inHg) early on September 18, as reported by a hurricane reconnaissance flight. Shortly thereafter, the large tropical storm peaked with sustained winds of as it made landfall to the southwest of Dulac, Louisiana. Esther weakened over land and later dissipated over the Mississippi Valley by 1200 UTC on September 19. Like Tropical Storm Debbie, which had made landfall just a week prior in the same area, Esther's wind impacts were minimal. The strongest gust measured associated with the storm was , as recorded at Pensacola