Photo: National Weather Service
Tropical Storm Fred formed in the Caribbean Tuesday (August 10) night and is expected to make its way to Florida later this week.
NBC News reports the storm strengthened from a disturbance and brought gusty winds and heavy rain to Puerto Rico, according to forecasters.
The National Hurricane Center reports parts of Puerto Rico, as well as the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands, are expected to get as much as 4 inches of rain, with isolated maximums of 6 inches.
Fred is the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30.
The storm reached maximum sustained winds of 40 mph at around 11:00 p.m. Tuesday as it was located around 215 miles east-southeast of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic moving west.
Officials in Puerto Rico are advising local residents to take the storm seriously as heavy rains are expected to spread throughout the island.
"Do not wait until the last minute to mobilize,” said Nino Correa, Puerto Rico’s emergency management commissioner. “We don’t want to have fatalities.”
Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hispaniola were all under tropical storm warnings on Tuesday night, while none have been issued for the United States as of Wednesday (August 11) morning.
Forecasters predict the storm will approach Florida later this week, bringing a risk of rain and wind in the Keys beginning on Friday (August 13).
"However, it is too soon to determine the exact timing, location and magnitude of any potential impacts" for the state, the National Hurricane Center said in a discussion on its website.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it expected another busier-than-average Atlantic hurricane season in May and, in an August 4 update, predicted 15 to 21 named storms, including seven to 10 hurricanes, during the five-month season, NBC News reports.
In 2020, a record 30 named storms, including 12 that made landfall, were present, including two hurricanes, Laura and Delta, that hit Louisiana within six weeks apart from each other.