As Tropical Storm Fred edges closer to Florida, waters along the coast are closing to the public to help thwart the danger of pre-storm rip tides and high surf.
AccuWeather's live coverage of Fred has concluded, but additional content and information on the storm can be found at AccuWeather.com and on the AccuWeather TV network. Scroll down to view photos and read storm reports from Fred as it made landfall along the Florida Panhandle.
Tropical Storm Fred is continuing to advance inland after making landfall just west of Apalachicola, Florida, on Monday afternoon. The center of Fred is forecast to move over eastern Alabama and western Georgia Monday night into Tuesday, but some towns closer to the Gulf Coast are still flooded from Fred. Flooding will be a concern all the way into the mid-Atlantic as moisture from Fred fuels tropical downpours through Thursday in the eastern U.S.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic, AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring two other features. Tropical Storm Henri is currently spinning near Bermuda where it is anticipated to cause disruptions throughout the week. Elsewhere, Tropical Depression Grace is passing near Haiti, which is still recovering following a deadly magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Saturday. In the long-term, Grace is predicted to make its way into the Gulf of Mexico where it could organize into a hurricane.
The center of Tropical Storm Fred is moving inland, but people along the coast should not let their guard down. Dangerous storm surge is still possible along the Florida Big Bend. The highest water levels are likely between Indian Pass and Steinhatchee River. Damaging wind gusts are also still likely for portions of the Florida Panhandle, southeastern Alabama and southern Georgia as the center of Fred advances inland.
Tropical Storm Fred has weakened slightly since making landfall on Monday afternoon, but it is still the strongest of the three active storms in the Atlantic hurricane basin. As of 5 p.m. EDT, Fred was packing winds up to 60 mph. Grace remains a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, but it could evolve into a hurricane as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend. Meanwhile, newly-formed Tropical Storm Henri is swirling near Bermuda with winds up to 40 mph.
Even as Fred weakens, it is still expected to unleash disruptive rain across much of the eastern U.S. "As much as 4-8 inches and an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 12 inches can fall," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Over six inches of rainfall is possible in the Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina — a region that has already received well over its fair share of rainfall so far this year. Birmingham, Alabama, reported 165% of the city’s average rainfall through June and July. As a result of the excessive rainfall, the region risks flash flooding as Fred moves onshore. On Monday morning, nearly six inches of rainfall already fell in western North Carolina, which led to a rapid rise in water levels on the French Broad River in Rosman, North Carolina, and some flooding near Lincolnton, North Carolina.
Less than two hours after Fred made landfall in Florida, Tropical Depression Eight was upgraded to Tropical Storm Henri. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Bermuda with Henri expected to slowly track around the country throughout the week. "Squalls with heavy rain and gusty winds may periodically pivot across the islands as the system will loop to the southwest and then turn northward and eventually northeastward," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. At this time, AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting that Henri will not have a direct impact on the U.S.
Winds have gusted over 70 mph along parts of the Florida Panhandle just miles away from where the center of Fred made landfall earlier in the afternoon. Apalachicola, Florida, clocked one of the highest wind gusts of 73 mph. Over 12,000 electric customers in Florida are currently without power, a majority of whom are across the Panhandle, according to PowerOutage.com. Additionally, the storm surge at Apalachicola has reached 4.5 feet above the normal tide level.
The Florida Panhandle is taking a direct hit from Fred with Panama City right in the path of the storm. According to the Panama City Police Department, multiple streets were flooded on Monday afternoon as the storm rolled in. Traffic lights were also being reported out across the city on Monday. The department advises any travelers that come across a broken traffic light to treat the intersection as a four-way stop. The National Weather Service warned of dangerous storm surge and flooding in the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region on Monday afternoon as Fred made landfall on the coast.
Portions of Georgia, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle are under a tornado watch as Fred hits the region. The tornado watch will remain in effect until 8 p.m. EDT on Monday. The area the tornado watch is in effect for has a combined population of over 995,000 people. According to the National Weather Service, there will also be a slight risk for isolated tornadoes across Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee on Tuesday as Fred will make its way up the spine of the Appalachians as a tropical rainstorm.
At 3:15 p.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Fred made landfall near Cape San Blas, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. This is just 9 mph lower than the requirements to be considered a Category 1 hurricane. Despite making landfall, the southeastern U.S. will continue to be under the influence of the tropical storm as gusty winds bring the threat of property damage and power outages while tropical downpours spark flash flooding.
As winds increase as Fred approaches, the number of power outages across Florida is starting to trend upward. As of 2:45 EDT, nearly 9,000 electric customers were in the dark, including one-fifth of Franklin County, PowerOutage.US reported. This number will only go up with multiple locations along the coast clocking wind gusts between 50 and 65 mph. Royal Bluff, Florida, was the first spot along the coast to report a wind gust over 60 mph, and stronger gusts are possible in the coming hours. Roof damage was also reported near Royal Bluff due to winds, according to a trained spotter in the area.
This satellite image from the GOES-EAST weather satellite shows Tropical Storm Fred approaching landfall along the Florida Panhandle. (Image/NOAA)
Wakulla County, which is also under a flash flood watch and a tornado watch, issued a voluntary evacuation order for coastal and low-lying areas on Monday. Starting at 2 p.m., EDT, a shelter will open in the county’s community center. “Those who are on the coast may have already seen storm waters begin to rise,” the county said, according to WCTV. “We are still predicted to receive a storm surge between 3 to 5 feet. Storm surge will peak this evening between 8:30 and 11 p.m.” Wakulla County is not the first to issue a voluntary evacuation order. On Sunday, Franklin County also issued a voluntary evacuation order for all barrier islands, low-lying areas, Alligator Point and Bald Point. Both counties are under a state of emergency order that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued on Friday ahead of Fred’s landfall.
A drop in barometric pressure early Monday morning resulted in Fred’s maximum sustained windspeed increasing by about 10 mph within a few hours. As a result of the drop in pressure, residents in the Florida Panhandle can expect impacts from Fred to reach the strength of a very strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane, AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
“When the pressure drops in the center of a tropical system, air is rising more vigorously than before,” Sosnowski explained. “Next, air begins to rush in faster from the sides of the center of the storm. That air rush is often depicted as an increase in wind speeds.” The pressure has since stabilized since its drop on Monday morning, meaning maximum sustained windspeed are not likely to increase much more through the afternoon hours. On Monday afternoon, Fred had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. In order to reach Category 1 hurricane strength, Fred would need maximum sustained winds of 74 mph.
Video from AccuWeather National Reporter Tony Laubach, situated in Eastpoint, Florida, on Monday, captured the storm surge churned by Fred slamming into barriers, while heavy rainfall is drenching the town. The area is located about 70 miles southeast of Panama City Beach and is under a Tropical Storm Warning along with the areas of Apalachicola, Carrabelle and Alligator Pointe. The footage also captured the howling winds off the coast, making for a tough day to fly for one seagull.
According to WCTV, Eastpoint’s home county of Franklin County issued a voluntary evacuation order for all barrier islands, low-lying areas, Alligator Point and Bald Point on Sunday. Emergency Management officials also added that county bridges close once wind speeds top 45 mph. In Apalachicola, a storm surge of over 3 feet was reported at 1:24 p.m. on Monday while a surge of over 2 feet was reported in Cedar Key.
Storm surge from Fred slammed the coast of Florida as water spilled into the town of Eastpoint on Aug. 16, accompanied by howling winds and drenching rainfall.
About 90 miles north of Panama City, Florida, where Fred is forecast to land, school districts and universities in southern Alabama opted to cancel classes on Monday. According to AL.com, eight school districts in the areas of Barbour County, Dale County, Geneva County, Henry County and Houston County all canceled classes, while multiple campuses of the Wallace State Community College are also closed on Monday.
In Florida, schools and colleges in the Tallahassee area were also closed on Monday. According to WCTV, Florida State University enacted measures on Sunday night to keep most employees away from campus. The 24-hour campus restriction is only allowing essential personnel from Sunday evening until 11 p.m., Monday.
AccuWeather meteorologists are projecting that Fred will make landfall in almost the same exact spot where Hurricane Michael roared ashore in 2018 as a powerful Category 5 hurricane. The center of Fred is likely to make landfall around Panama City Beach and Apalachicola on Monday evening as tropical storm, although there is the chance that it could briefly intensify into a Category 1 hurricane.
This is the location that took the brunt of Hurricane Michael, the first hurricane to make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane since Andrew back in 1992. Maximum sustained winds with Fred will be about 100 mph lower than Michael when the powerful hurricane made landfall just east of Panama City Beach on Oct. 10, 2018.
On Sunday evening, lifeguard crew members in Bay County, Florida, were warning lingering beachgoers that the water would become dangerous before Monday morning. A high surf warning went into effect on Sunday and double red flags went up on the beaches in Bay County, meaning the beaches are now closed to the public, AccuWeather’s Bill Wadell reported. Waves reaching eight to 12 feet could be possible in the surf zone in Bay County, along with winds up to 50 mph and up to two feet of storm surge. “If you are in a rip current, getting out of the rip current you want to go parallel to the beach,” Kottlowski said. “The rip current is so strong that you will not be able to out-swim it. Even if you’re a good swimmer, you can’t out-swim it.” Lifeguards told Wadell if someone is still in the water on Monday and gets caught in dangerous conditions while the red flags remain up, they could receive a $500 fine.
Tropical Storm Fred could become the third Hurricane Fred in history if it strengthens even more, but its chances of becoming the strongest Fred in history are slim to none. That distinction belongs to the 2009 season’s Hurricane Fred, which was one of the strongest hurricanes on record in the southeast tropical Atlantic. The major hurricane reached Category 3 strength with peak winds of 120 mph.
The 2015 season also featured a Hurricane Fred, which is remembered for being the easternmost hurricane ever recorded in the tropical Atlantic. It reached Category 1 hurricane strength just 165 miles east-southeast of Cape Verde off the coast of Senegal, Africa.
Tropical Storm Fred was packing 60 mph sustained winds as of 11 a.m. Monday morning. Storm surge at Apalachicola, Florida, spiked to over 2.3 feet Monday morning, while winds gusted to 60 mph at a buoy offshore near Fred's center, which reported waves over 13 feet.
The center of Fred was about 55 miles south of Apalachicola as of 11 a.m., and tropical-storm-force winds extend about 115 miles out from the center of the storm, according to the NHC.
Hurricane Fred infrared satellite loop 8/16 AM
Fred is forecast to make landfall along the Florida coast, but inland states are expected to experience the wrath of the storm as well. As the week continues, Fred is forecast to move inland through Alabama, the Tennessee Valley and the southern Appalachian Mountains. Up to 2 inches of rain is forecast for the Mississippi-Alabama border and southern Georgia, all the way into West Virginia and central Virginia. The Appalachian Mountains in northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina will likely experience the heaviest concentration of rain, where more than 4 inches could fall.
"By the middle of the week, Fred's circulation may dissipate enough to make it difficult to track exactly where the center of the tropical rainstorm is. Nonetheless, the tropical moisture will remain,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Residents of the Florida Panhandle can continue to expect increasingly intense effects from Fred through the mid to late afternoon, with a landfall currently forecast on Monday evening around 8 p.m., local time. AccuWeather experts also continue to warn that Fred could strengthen ahead of that arrival, with the threat to reach hurricane status a real possibility.
“The warm waters of the Gulf are likely to allow Fred to gain even more wind intensity as it travels northward. Water temperatures over the eastern Gulf of Mexico are in the upper 80s, which will favor the strengthening,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. “More impressive wind gusts are likely to be felt into Monday night as Fred once again nears land.”
Shortly before 9 a.m. CDT, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced that tropical storm warnings for Fred were extended eastward the Florida Big Bend Coast to the Steinhatchee River. According to the NHC, this extension was due to Fred's intense winds extending 115 miles from the storm's center.
Despite Fred’s impending arrival on the coast of Florida, tourists and residents alike in Panama City still decided to hit the beach over the weekend.
"Storm or no storm, we're here," Emily Wheeler told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. Wheeler and her sister-in-law were both spending time on the beach in Panama City, as they did not let Fred ruin their yearly trip. Wheeler told Wadell that this is not the first time they have experienced severe weather events while on their trips.
"We come to the beach either way," she said. "We’ve been here when there’s been a tornado in Panama City, we’ve been here when there’s been a tropical storm, we just come regardless."
Although the focus for direct impacts is mainly looking at Florida currently, farmers in Georgia have reason to worry as well. Caleb Traugh, a farmer in Early County, Georgia, told Accuweather National Reporter Jillian Angeline that he needs Fred to play nice after “Mother Nature and farm economics have made the last few years tough on farmers in southwest Georgia.”
According to Traugh, four of the last five years have seen harsh impacts on farms from tropical systems, most notably Hurricane Michael in 2018. It hasn’t been the heavy rain that these storms bring, he said, but rather “the wind is what is catastrophic.” With fall approaching, crops are nearing their full maturity and trees are weighed down with fruit, making a tropical impact even more of a disaster. This year, however, has seen favorable rains and helpful conditions that may help farmers climb out of the financial hole that recent seasons have put them in, he said.
“Strong winds can knock plants over and make harvest difficult or even impossible,” he told Angeline. “But the sigh of relief only comes after harvest, and we need favorable weather to get us there.”
