Tropical Depression Fred Bringing Heavy Rains to Cuba, Bahamas, Florida Keys

Tropical Depression Fred is producing heavy rains over eastern Cuba, the National Hurricane Center reported early Friday.Fred is moving with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph. The center said Fred is expected to experience “slow strengthening” in the next few days and could become a tropical storm sometime Friday.Fred is expected to move along or just north of eastern and central Cuba through Friday night, forecasters say, and be near the Florida Keys and southern Florida on Saturday. Fred is predicted to be near the west coast of Florida on Sunday.Fred has resulted in tropical storm watches for several areas: the Cuban provinces of Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, and Granma; the Florida Keys west of Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas; and the southwest coast of Florida from Bonita Beach south and east to Ocean Reef including Florida Bay.Fred is expected to produce 2.5-7.5 centimeters of rain over Cuba and the eastern Bahamas, the NHC said, while bringing as much as12.5 centimeters in some locations. In the western Bahamas, Fred is predicted to dump 7.5-12.5 centimeters, with isolated maximum totals of 20.5 centimeters.Through Monday, 7.5-15 centimeters of rain is anticipated across the Keys, the southern and central Florida Peninsula, and north toward the Big Bend of Florida, with isolated maximum totals of 20 centimeters. The NHC said the rainfall could lead to urban, and small-stream flooding, and potentially lead to isolated moderate river flooding.

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