Tropical storm warning for the Florida Keys

the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for Florida Keys and west coast to Bonita Beach, 20 miles south of Fort Myers. Although there are still uncertainties as to the intensity and exact course of the storm, meteorological authorities are confident that it will not reach a hurricane category.

As the storm passed Cuba and the Bahamas was demoted to Tropical depression, but it should regain its strength as it approaches Florida.

The effects of Fred are already being felt in the south of the state, with heavy rains that can generate floods. Tomorrow Saturday there will be tropical storm conditions across the South Florida Peninsula that will last until Sunday evening.

Worst flooding in South Florida expected between Friday night and Saturday night. Over the weekend, the National Hurricane Center estimates there will be winds with tropical storm intensity, between 62 and 91 kilometers per hour, with the possibility of tornadoes.

Until today, Fred was a still disorganized system that generated heavy rains in Cuba and the Bahamas. As soon as you pass these islands and return to the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, it is expected that the system will be better organized, regain intensity and turn back into a tropical storm.

At the moment, it is moving in a west-northwest direction, at 16 kilometers per hour. As tomorrow passes near or through the Florida Keys, forecasts indicate that it will have sustained winds of 72 kilometers per hour.

Although there are different models, most of them indicate that the west coast of Florida is the one that would be the most affected. Early next week, the system could strengthen as it enters the Gulf of Mexico before reaching the northwestern Florida peninsula, with the potential to affect other southern states like Alabama as well. and Georgia.

In Miami Dade, Broward and the Keys three to seven inches of rain are expected from today. The bad weather will last all weekend and even Monday. Some isolated areas can see 10 inches of rain.

This can generate floods in low-lying urban areas and adverse conditions at sea, with return currents along the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.

While this is not a system that endangers the people of Florida, local authorities activated emergency systems.

The city of Miami it has a team ready to help in the flood plains and portable water extraction pumps to distribute throughout the city. Residents are urged to exercise caution and avoid wandering the streets due to heavy rains.

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