MIAMI – Tropical Storm Fred intensified in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall Monday afternoon in the eastern Florida Panhandle and hours later, Tropical Depression Eight strengthened into Tropical Storm Henri.
Luckily, Henri is not expected to be a threat to Florida.
And Grace, now a tropical depression, brought heavy rain Monday across southern Haiti, a nation that is rushing to continue rescue efforts after Saturday’s catastrophic 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
Rain from Grace could lead to flooding and mudslides in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and the system may strengthen into a tropical storm yet again Tuesday.
The good news for Florida is that Grace is tracking south of Cuba, which indicates a drier week in South Florida.
And the Hurricane Center says no additional systems are expected to develop in the coming days.
🌀 Good news for Florida! Over the weekend there were two possible tracks for Grace, either north or south of Cuba. We're able to pin down the forecast today to the southern track, away from Florida. pic.twitter.com/sXfmYNxlHQ
— Brandon Orr (@BrandonOrrWPLG) August 16, 2021
Tropical Depression Grace
At 11 p.m. Monday, Grace was 100 miles west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, moving west at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic are expected to get 5 to 10 inches of rain with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches expected across the southern terrain areas through Tuesday. That heavy rainfall may lead to flooding and mudslides.
“On the forecast track, the center of Grace will continue to move near or over the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti during the next couple of hours, and then move between southeastern Cuba and Jamaica on Tuesday,” the Hurricane Center said in its 11 p.m. advisory. “Grace is forecast to move near the Cayman Islands Tuesday night and then approach the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico late Wednesday or early Thursday.”
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
- Southern coast of the Cuban provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Las Tunas, and Camaguey
- Cayman Islands
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:
- Entire coast of Haiti
- Jamaica
- Southern coast of the Cuban provinces of Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, and Pinar del Rio, as well as Isla de la Juventud.
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
Tropical Storm Fred
At 11 p.m. Monday, Tropical Storm Fred was 10 miles east of Dothan, Alabama, moving north-northeast at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
It is expected to bring dangerous storm surge and flooding rain over portions of the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend on Monday.
“Tropical storm conditions will continue along the coastline within the warning area over the next few hours and will continue to spread farther inland later today and tonight across portions of the Florida Panhandle, southwestern Georgia and southeastern Alabama,” the Hurricane Center said.
Fred is expected to rapidly weaken and become a tropical depression by Tuesday.
Tropical Storm Henri
Tropical Depression Eight formed late Sunday night and strengthened late Monday afternoon to Tropical Storm Henri (pronounced ahn-REE).
At 11 p.m. Monday, the system was 140 miles southeast of Bermuda, moving south-southwest at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
“A turn toward the west is is forecast by Tuesday night, and a slightly faster westward motion should continue through early Thursday,” the Hurricane Center said in its 11 p.m. advisory. “On the forecast track, the center of Henri should pass well to the south of Bermuda late Tuesday or Tuesday night.”
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Bermuda.
For the latest South Florida radar and forecast information, visit the Local 10 News Weather Authority page.
To make sure you’re prepared, download the Local 10 Hurricane Survival Guide.