Behind Fred, another tropical threat is taking shape over the Atlantic
As Fred continues its journey toward the U.S., AccuWeather forecasters are already monitoring a tropical rainstorm, emerging as a tropical threat elsewhere in the Atlantic.
By
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Aug 11, 2021 12:33 PM EST
|
Updated Aug 13, 2021 5:04 AM EST
The streets and highways of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, were swallowed up by flooding from Tropical Storm Fred on Aug. 11, due to heavy rain and storm surge.
As Fred impacted parts of the Caribbean with strong winds and heavy rain on Wednesday and Wednesday night, AccuWeather meteorologists were tracking a tropical rainstorm (designated Invest 95L by the National Hurricane Center), that could soon follow in Fred's footsteps.
AccuWeather forecasters have been monitoring what is now Fred since it emerged as a tropical wave last week. It eventually became more organized as it crossed the Lesser Antilles and moved into the Caribbean Sea on Monday night. By Tuesday night, the feature strengthened into a tropical storm, then changed status to a tropical depression on Wednesday night.
Visible satellite imagery of Fred on Thursday morning revealed how disorganized the feature had become after it passed over Hispaniola. The low-level circulation can be seen near the eastern tip of Cuba while the more robust thunderstorms are offset to the east over Hispaniola.
This satellite image shows a disorganized Tropical Depression Fred swirling over the northern Caribbean on Thursday morning. (AccuWeather)
As of 3 a.m. Friday, EDT, Fred had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 km/h) as it drifted toward the southeastern Bahamas and eastern Cuba. The NOAA and an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft were investigating Fred on Thursday evening as it swept by the northern shore of Cuba.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
As Fred moved over Hispaniola on Wednesday night, the storm changed status to a depression upon encountering the island's rugged terrain. The highest peak on the island rises over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). This drastic change in terrain increased the friction Fred faced over land, aiding in the storm becoming less organized and losing wind intensity.
Fred is forecast to reorganize gradually as it skirts the northern coast of Cuba and could return to tropical storm strength (maximum sustained winds of 39-73 mph) as early as Friday.
Fred is forecast to track along the northern coast of Cuba on Friday, bringing rain, wind and rough seas to the island. Similarly, whether or not Fred acquires additional strength will depend on just how close to land the storm tracks as it moves past Cuba on its way to the U.S.
"Tropical Depression Fred is a less than one on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes in Hispaniola and Cuba due to the impacts expected from heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts," stated Zartman. The AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes is a 6-point scale with ratings of less than one and 1 to 5 and takes into consideration a variety of diverse, contributing factors, such as flooding rain, high winds and storm surge as well as the total damage and economic impact from the storm.
Depending on how Fred survives its trek through the Caribbean, it is forecast to make a turn to the north and bring impacts to the southeastern United States this weekend.
Residents along the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico should monitor this feature through the rest of the week for potential impacts.
Tropical Depression Fred expected to take a track similar to Tropical Storm Elsa, which raced through the region during early July, but it is important to remember that each storm is different, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Atlantic to stay active beyond Fred
AccuWeather forecasters are already monitoring a tropical wave tracking across the Atlantic Ocean for potential development late this week or into the beginning of next week.
This tropical low will have to battle elevated wind shear across the basin, but as it reaches the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, wind shear is expected to decrease, and the wave may have an opportunity to become better organized, explained Kottlowski.
Development potential will increase if this low drifts farther south as it moves into the Caribbean, where wind shear levels are lower.
Kottlowski also added that the strength of Fred and how it might influence the Bermuda high over the Atlantic Ocean can play a part in which direction the tropical rainstorm moves into next week.
"At this time, it looks like this wave is destined to move into the Caribbean then the eastern Gulf of Mexico, similar to Fred, but with a track a bit more to the west," Kottlowski said on Wednesday, adding that this feature could bring impacts to the United States by the end of next week if it holds together.
The next name on the list of storms for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is Grace.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
Behind Fred, another tropical threat is taking shape over the Atlantic
As Fred continues its journey toward the U.S., AccuWeather forecasters are already monitoring a tropical rainstorm, emerging as a tropical threat elsewhere in the Atlantic.
By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Aug 11, 2021 12:33 PM EST | Updated Aug 13, 2021 5:04 AM EST
The streets and highways of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, were swallowed up by flooding from Tropical Storm Fred on Aug. 11, due to heavy rain and storm surge.
As Fred impacted parts of the Caribbean with strong winds and heavy rain on Wednesday and Wednesday night, AccuWeather meteorologists were tracking a tropical rainstorm (designated Invest 95L by the National Hurricane Center), that could soon follow in Fred's footsteps.
AccuWeather forecasters have been monitoring what is now Fred since it emerged as a tropical wave last week. It eventually became more organized as it crossed the Lesser Antilles and moved into the Caribbean Sea on Monday night. By Tuesday night, the feature strengthened into a tropical storm, then changed status to a tropical depression on Wednesday night.
Visible satellite imagery of Fred on Thursday morning revealed how disorganized the feature had become after it passed over Hispaniola. The low-level circulation can be seen near the eastern tip of Cuba while the more robust thunderstorms are offset to the east over Hispaniola.
This satellite image shows a disorganized Tropical Depression Fred swirling over the northern Caribbean on Thursday morning. (AccuWeather)
As of 3 a.m. Friday, EDT, Fred had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 km/h) as it drifted toward the southeastern Bahamas and eastern Cuba. The NOAA and an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft were investigating Fred on Thursday evening as it swept by the northern shore of Cuba.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
As Fred moved over Hispaniola on Wednesday night, the storm changed status to a depression upon encountering the island's rugged terrain. The highest peak on the island rises over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). This drastic change in terrain increased the friction Fred faced over land, aiding in the storm becoming less organized and losing wind intensity.
Fred is forecast to reorganize gradually as it skirts the northern coast of Cuba and could return to tropical storm strength (maximum sustained winds of 39-73 mph) as early as Friday.
Fred is forecast to track along the northern coast of Cuba on Friday, bringing rain, wind and rough seas to the island. Similarly, whether or not Fred acquires additional strength will depend on just how close to land the storm tracks as it moves past Cuba on its way to the U.S.
"Tropical Depression Fred is a less than one on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes in Hispaniola and Cuba due to the impacts expected from heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts," stated Zartman. The AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes is a 6-point scale with ratings of less than one and 1 to 5 and takes into consideration a variety of diverse, contributing factors, such as flooding rain, high winds and storm surge as well as the total damage and economic impact from the storm.
Depending on how Fred survives its trek through the Caribbean, it is forecast to make a turn to the north and bring impacts to the southeastern United States this weekend.
Residents along the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico should monitor this feature through the rest of the week for potential impacts.
Tropical Depression Fred expected to take a track similar to Tropical Storm Elsa, which raced through the region during early July, but it is important to remember that each storm is different, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Atlantic to stay active beyond Fred
AccuWeather forecasters are already monitoring a tropical wave tracking across the Atlantic Ocean for potential development late this week or into the beginning of next week.
This tropical low will have to battle elevated wind shear across the basin, but as it reaches the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, wind shear is expected to decrease, and the wave may have an opportunity to become better organized, explained Kottlowski.
Development potential will increase if this low drifts farther south as it moves into the Caribbean, where wind shear levels are lower.
Kottlowski also added that the strength of Fred and how it might influence the Bermuda high over the Atlantic Ocean can play a part in which direction the tropical rainstorm moves into next week.
"At this time, it looks like this wave is destined to move into the Caribbean then the eastern Gulf of Mexico, similar to Fred, but with a track a bit more to the west," Kottlowski said on Wednesday, adding that this feature could bring impacts to the United States by the end of next week if it holds together.
The next name on the list of storms for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is Grace.
SEE ALSO:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo