Tropical Storm Fred Makes Landfall in Florida; Two More Tropical Disturbances Being Watched

Tropical storm Fred has made landfall near Cape San Blas in Florida Monday afternoon, and it mostly affected the eastern part of the Panhandle. It passed across the Gulf of Mexico before hitting the state.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph at landfall. Weather experts are keeping watch on two other disturbances, with tropical depression Grace lining up behind Fred, USA Today reported.

Grace drenched the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Monday. On the other hand, tropical storm Henri, which formed near Bermuda Monday, was now the eighth named storm of the Atlantic season.

Tropical Storm Fred in Florida

Lifeguards had raised double red flags around Panama City Beach in Florida's Panhandle on Monday. They also warned beachgoers from going into the Gulf of Mexico.

NBC News reported that parts of the Panhandle, Georgia, and southeast Alabama were under flash flood watches.

On Monday, the National Weather Service said the Florida Keys and southern Florida should prepare for three to five inches of rain, with the Big Bend and Panhandle seeing four to eight inches of the downpour.

Florida's Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said they have seen a lot worse than the current tropical storm. However, he noted that it's not a reason to be complacent. Ford added that fewer people on the road are better as they are expecting some heavy rains.

Andrew Hagen, a marine forecaster at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, said since the storm has already made its landfall, they expect it to start weakening. Hagen noted that the storm is seen to weaken quickly between late afternoon and evening as it moves inland.

The Guardian reported that several school districts in western Florida had closed on Monday, with chances of reopening on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden has already declared a state of emergency in Florida to authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist local and state emergency efforts.

Last week, Biden warned that those states who are likely to experience hurricanes due to Fred were also the ones with surging COVID cases. Biden said an important part of preparing for hurricane season is to get vaccinated now.

"Everything is more complicated if you're not vaccinated, and a hurricane or natural disaster hits. If you wind up having to evacuate or stay in a shelter, you don't want to add COVID-19 to the list of dangers that you're going to be confronting," he noted.

Tropical Depression Grace in Haiti

According to a CBS News report, tropical depression Grace has started to dump rains in Haiti on Monday. Haiti has recently experienced a 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

Grace threatens to dump up to 15 inches of rain on a landscape where people are still searching for survivors. The tropical depression was also crossing over the Dominican Republic's southern Barahona peninsula with winds of 35 mph.

The NHC warned that there could be flash floods and mudslides along Hispaniola's southern coasts. Grace was centered 85 miles southeast of Haiti's capital, Port-au Prince, and was moving west at 15 mph.

It was seen to pass between Cuba and Jamaica Tuesday and then move towards Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.

A tropical storm watch was in effect for the entire southern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Monday. It also includes most of the southern coast of Cuba and the Cayman Islands.

The NHC said Grace is seen to become a hurricane by Friday as it approaches the Mexican coast, Sun-Sentinel reported.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Monday Morning Tropical Weather Forecast: Fred, Grace, and TD Eight - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay