Tropical Storm Fred slammed into the Florida Panhandle Monday afternoon, packing sustained winds of up to 65 mph and threatening to cause dangerous storm surges.
The storm made landfall in the eastern Florida Panhandle shortly after 2 p.m., with a tropical storm warning now in effect through much of the region,the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.
The low-pressure system, one of three off the US coast, was churning 35 miles southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, by late morning Monday before striking land, and is expected to dump 4 to 8 inches of rain in the Panhandle before moving over southeast Alabama and northern Georgia.
“Little change in strength is expected before landfall,” the advisory read. “After landfall, Fred is expected to quickly weaken.”
Flash floods could strike as far north as Atlanta and even reach Washington, DC, by Wednesday, ABC News reported Monday.
In addition to Fred, Tropical Depression Grace started drenching Haiti Monday in the wake of a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit the country over the weekend, killing nearly 1,300 people. Up to 15 inches of rain expected in southern Haiti could cause flash flooding and mudslides through Tuesday, the hurricane center said.
As of Monday afternoon, Grace was moving toward the Mexican coast with sustained winds of 35 mph. A tropical storm watch remained in effect for the entire coast of Haiti, as well as Jamaica and some parts of Cuba, officials said.
A third storm system, which could be named Tropical Storm Henri if it continues to strengthen, formed near Bermuda on Monday morning, the center said.
That system was carrying 35-mph winds, the center said.
