We’re tracking what’s now Tropical Depression Fred as it exits Hispaniola. The big question is: how much did Fred’s track over land disrupt its circulation? That will affect the wind impacts to South Florida — but very heavy rain is in the forecast for us, regardless.
Here in South Florida, Thursday features good sun and some showers and storms on an ocean breeze in the east coast metro area, while the Gulf coast will see plenty of sun in the morning with showers and storms developing in the mid to late afternoon. Highs on Thursday will be in the humid low 90s.
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Friday will feature a mix of sun, showers, and storms with increasingly breezy conditions. Look for an increasing risk of dangerous rip currents at South Florida’s beaches on Friday and hazardous beach conditions through the weekend. Tropical storm-force gusts are possible during the night, especially in the Lower and Middle Keys. Friday’s highs will be near 90 degrees in the east coast metro area and in the low 90s along the Gulf coast.
Saturday will bring the closest approach of Fred to South Florida. While the exact impacts aren’t certain yet, prepare for 3 to 5 inches of rain with likely flooding. Expect windy conditions, including gusts of tropical storm strength in the east coast metro area and sustained tropical storm-force winds in the Lower and Middle Keys and along the Gulf coast. Saturday’s highs will be mostly in the mid-80s.
Sunday will see decreasing winds as Fred moves away, but we’ll be stuck with plenty of rain throughout Sunday and possibly into Monday. Sunday’s highs will be in the upper 80s.
Monday’s forecast calls for lingering showers and storms but also periods of sun. Highs on Monday will be near 90 degrees.
As expected, Fred has weakened into a tropical depression after tracking across Hispaniola. At 5 am Thursday, TD Fred was located near 20.2 North, 73.5 West, about 110 miles east of Guantanamo, Cuba. Maximum sustained winds were 35 miles per hour, and Fred was moving west-northwest at 16 miles per hour. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for portions of Haiti, the eastern half of Cuba, and the southeastern Bahamas, A tropical storm watch is possible for portions of South Florida later on Thursday. We’ll watch on Thursday and early Friday to see how much Fred is affected by possible interactions with Cuba. But in any event, South Florida can plan on a very rainy weekend with the possibility of dangerous flash flooding.
Elsewhere, the wave in the central Atlantic has a medium chance of developing into a depression during the next five days as it moves through the Lesser Antilles and into the eastern Caribbean.
