 Banding features continued to organize as the system slowly strengthened, and on August 23 Debby attained a peak intensity of 50 mph (85 km/h) over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.Forecasters predicted Debby to continue to intensify to attain hurricane status, while its projected path placed the storm in an area of warm water temperatures and moderate upper level shear.Shortly after reaching its peak intensity, Debby encountered an area of dry air, and subsequently weakened.