Fred May Become Hurricane by Monday; Erika's Rain Still a Concern

The sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season has officially arrived on the scene and it’s anticipated to become the second hurricane of the year by Monday.

Tropical Storm Fred was located about 115 miles east-southeast of the Cape Verde Islands as of 8 p.m. Sunday. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and is moving northwest at 16 mph.

Fred is “expected to strengthen,” the hurricane center wrote in its 8 a.m. Sunday report. By 11 a.m., the agency had issued a hurricane warning for the Cape Verde Islands. The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Monday morning. Forecasters do, however, anticipate it will downgrade into a tropical storm, and perhaps a depression, later in the week as it moves toward the Caribbean and the United States.

While Fred poses no threat to the United States at this time, the remnants of former Tropical Storm Erika are expected to dump buckets of water on the Tampa Bay area Sunday and Monday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for the entire region.

See Also:

• Hurricane Season: How to Prepare
• Tampa Bay ‘Ripe for Disaster,’ Hurricane Experts Say
• Flood Watch Issued for Entire Tampa Bay Area

“Deep tropical moisture over the region combined with the tropical moisture from the remnant of Erika moving into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico will create a threat for very heavy rainfall across west center and southwest Florida today through Monday,” the weather service wrote in its flood watch advisory. “Three to five inches of rain with locally higher amounts is possible.”

Forecasters are warning of the potential for significant street flooding and flooding in low-lying areas.

Erika is not anticipated to reform into a tropical cyclone anytime soon, but forecasters say it’s not entirely impossible over the next few days. As of Sunday afternoon, forecasters gave Erika a 10 percent chance of reforming.

Tampa Bay area residents are urged to keep their eyes on the weather and to avoid areas of flooding as rain moves into the area.

For a complete look at weather in your neighborhood, visit your local Patch’s homepage.

Graphic courtesy of the National Weather Service

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:49 p.m. Aug. 30 with the latest information from the National Hurricane Center.