ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Fred weakened early Tuesday to a tropical depression after making landfall Monday afternoon as a tropical storm on the Florida Panhandle, leaving a moderate storm surge and substantial rainfall in its wake.
The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Fred made landfall near Cape San Blas, Florida. The system had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph.
Now, as of the 4 a.m. advisory, Fred is moving inland 25 miles south-southwest of Columbus, Georgia, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, moving north-northeast at 14 mph.
Torrential rainfall and a storm surge upward of 5 feet were expected along the coast of the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for:
- There are no tropical storm warnings.
A storm surge warning is in effect for:
- There are no storm surge warnings.
Behind Fred is Tropical Depression Grace, another system being tracked by the National Hurricane Center. Despite earlier forecasts from the weekend, Florida is no longer in Grace's cone of uncertainty.
Tropical Depression Eight strengthened into Tropical Storm Henri Monday near Bermuda. The NHC forecast has the storm posing no threat to the U.S.