PTC6 STRENGTHENS TO TROPICAL STORM FRED… Tropical Storm Fred is officially on the board this evening now that a low-level center of circulation has formed south of Puerto Rico in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Fred has maximum winds of 40 mph as of 10PM Tuesday, August 10. The National Hurricane Center continues to suggest Fred will move into the Gulf this weekend, likely as a tropical storm. The system will then likely then turn north, but where this northerly turn happens will determine quite a bit about what parts of Florida receive specific impacts. Local impacts in south Alabama and northwest Florida may become possible Monday or Tuesday, depending on the exact track.
FRED LIKELY TO BE STRONGER IN GULF OF MEXICO… The latent heat content in the eastern Gulf has the potential to support a hurricane or even a major hurricane in the next week, although it remains to be seen if the upper-level pattern will be as supportive of strengthening for Fred. Regardless, folks in the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Panhandle should be preparing for tropical storm (at minimum) impacts this weekend into early next week. The possibility of Fred being a hurricane or even a major hurricane are not out of the realms of possibility. The National Hurricane Center ramps Fred to a strong tropical storm 5 days from now in the official forecast, for now.
I will have your next full forecast video posted by 7:15AM tomorrow morning. See you then!
