Fred regained its tropical storm status Sunday and is expected to move across the Gulf of Mexico, reaching the Gulf Coast before Tuesday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane center posted tropical storm warnings or watches for the Florida Panhandle and parts of the Alabama coast. And Florda’s Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the Panhandle.
Tropical Storm Fred was 380 kilometers (235 miles) south of Panama City, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, moving north-northwest at 17 kph (10 mph), the hurricane center said.
Grace, however, lost its tropical storm status, and tropical storm warnings for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island were canceled. Haiti, which was struck by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Saturday, is under a tropical storm watch, the hurricane center said.
Grace was 560 kilometers (345 miles) east-southeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, moving west at 25 kph (15 mph).
Whatever their status, forecasters said, Fred and Grace threaten to bring heavy rain and flooding.
Fred is expected to bring 10-20 centimeters (4-8 inches) of rain to the Florida Panhandle. And Grace could bring 7.5-15 centimeters (3-6 inches of rain) to the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico through Tuesday.
Source: Voice of America