By the time it reaches Tampa Bay on Sunday morning, Tropical Depression Fred will strengthen into a Tropical Storm with heavy wind and rain, say forecasters with the National Hurricane Center.
According to Friday’s 11 a.m. update, the cone of uncertainty has shifted slightly west, and Fred is moving 12 mph just north of eastern and central Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. The storm is expected to regain strength as it turns north to the Florida Keys on Saturday, before hitting the west coast of Florida on Sunday.
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for the Florida Keys and portions of South Florida.
⚠TROPICAL STORM WATCH ISSUED for Coastal Charlotte/Lee Counties ⚠
As of the 5AM @NHC_Atlantic update, #Fred remains a tropical depression. However, some strengthening is expected, necessitating watches for #SWFL. Here's the latest 👇 #flwx pic.twitter.com/t9m3KmJji9
— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) August 13, 2021
Fred’s path is still uncertain, but forecasters expect the storm to reach Tampa Bay early Sunday morning, says the NHC. Locally, we can expect 40 mph winds and heavy rainfall of three to five inches.
Fred is the sixth named storm in the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.
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This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2021.