TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for much of Hispaniola Wednesday morning with Tropical Storm Fred just south of the eastern Dominican Republic.
At 11 a.m. ET, the storm was centered about 25 miles south-southeast of Santo Domingo with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 60 miles from the storm’s center. It was moving west-northwest at 16 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
Fred is expected to be near or over Hispaniola later Wednesday and to move near the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday.
It will likely remain a tropical storm as it moves north into the Gulf of Mexico and passes by Tampa Bay late Saturday and Sunday, according to the latest forecast track. The National Weather Service said Monday that South Florida could see “widespread and heavy rain” late this week and over the weekend.
Fred is forecast to dump 3 to 5 inches across the Dominican Republic with some areas seeing isolated amounts of 8 inches. Forecasters say the heavy rain could lead to dangerous flooding and mudslides. Haiti, the Turks and Caicos, eastern Bahamas and eastern Cuba could see 1 to 3 inches of rain with some areas seeing isolated amounts of 5 inches.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
- Dominican Republic on the south coast from Punta Palenque
eastward and on the north coast from the Dominican
Republic/Haiti border eastward
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:
- Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to
Gonaives - Turks and Caicos Islands
- Southeastern Bahamas
- The Cuban provinces of Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas,
Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantanamo