As of the 8:00 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Depression Fred is about 175 miles (285 kilometers) southeast of Key West, Florida, moving along at 12 mph (19 kph) toward the west, with sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph).
And while Fred is still somewhat disorganized at present, there is still a chance of restrengthening into a strong tropical storm as it moves through the eastern Gulf of Mexico this weekend.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for 23 counties on Friday afternoon, as Tropical Depression Fred started moving a bit closer to the coastline.
Tropical Storm warnings are in effect across the Florida Keys and Florida, along with tropical storm watches in effect for portions of the state’s southwest coast.
Damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, and minor coastal flooding are all likely to result from Fred, but forecasters are most concerned by the threat of excessive rainfall and localized flooding that could unfold over the Florida Peninsula, as well as the southeastern United States mainland.
And Fred is expected to become a Tropical Storm again either late tonight or on Saturday. Atmospheric conditions and the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico are all favoring the strengthening of this storm.
“Because of wind shear, the heaviest rain and strongest thunderstorms are forecast to occur first to the east of the center of circulation and later to the north and northeast of the storm center,” AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.
About 2-4 inches of rain is forecast to fall over southern and central Florida with heavier rains on the order of 4-8 inches likely with locally higher amounts over the Keys and along the Gulf coast of the Peninsula into Monday.
Soon-to-be Tropical Storm Grace
Potential Tropical Cyclone 7 could become Tropical Storm Grace overnight or on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 p.m. update. The storm was declared a tropical depression late Friday afternoon, with top winds of 35 mph.
The storm’s possible paths include the Gulf of Mexico and farther up the northeast coast of the United States. But in the shorter run, it may follow Tropical Storm Fred across the mountains of the northern Caribbean, which could limit its chances of becoming too powerful.
The current forecast shows the storm achieving its maximum wind speed of 50 mph as it approaches the Dominican Republic early next week. Located about 580 miles from the eastern islands of the Caribbean, the storm was moving west at about 22 mph.
