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Tropical Storm Fred crosses the Gulf of Mexico into the Florida panhandle early Monday where it is expected to bring heavy rain and a dangerous storm surge.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for part of the Florida Panhandle from Navarre to the Wakulla / Jefferson County line, which means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere in the warning area within the next 24 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
A storm surge warning is also in effect for the Florida Panhandle coast from Indian Pass to Yankeetown.
FRED FURTHER STRENGTHENS THE TROPICAL STORM AND AIMS THE NORTH COAST OF THE GULF
Tropical Storm Fred on August 16, 2021 (NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center)
At 4 a.m. on Monday, Fred was about 160 miles south of Panama City, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, according to the NHC. The storm was moving north at 9 mph.
“On track, Fred’s center is expected to cross the northeastern Gulf of Mexico today and make landfall in western Florida this afternoon or early evening,” the NHC said.
Until Tuesday, the storm is expected to produce heavy precipitation, which could cause flooding in southeastern and parts of southern Florida, as well as in the Big Bend and Panhandle areas of the state. Flooding can also occur in Southeast Alabama, parts of Georgia, and western Carolinas.
In anticipation of Fred, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the Panhandle area.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Saturday issued a statement saying his administration is monitoring the weather and “will be ready to act at the state level if necessary.”
Ivey’s statement was made the same day Fred was downgraded to Tropical Wave – before he regained tropical storm status. Tropical waves can contain winds and heavy rain, but do not circulate around a central point or “eye” like a tropical storm or hurricane.
FRED INVITES TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR KEYS OF FLORIDA AS US APPROACHES
Meanwhile, Grace was downgraded to a tropical depression after her sustained winds dropped to 35mph – below the threshold of 39mph for a tropical storm. At 5 a.m. on Monday, Grace was located about 160 miles east-southeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and was moving west at 15 mph, according to the NHC.
Grace has triggered tropical storm warnings for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Those warnings have been discontinued, but a tropical storm watch remains in effect for the entire coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where total precipitation of about 4 to 8 inches was forecast through Tuesday.
Fred was expected to bring roughly the same amount of precipitation in the Florida Big Bend and the Panhandle.
A tropical storm earlier in the week, Fred had weakened into depression by rotating over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it cut power to some 400,000 customers and caused flooding that forced authorities to shut down a part of the country’s water system, interrupting water service to hundreds of thousands of people.
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Local authorities reported that hundreds of people were evacuated and some buildings damaged. A Magnitude 7.2 earthquake also struck Haiti on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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