RALEIGH, North Carolina, U.S. (AP) – Tropical Storm Fred weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday, sparking multiple tornadoes in Georgia and heavy downpours in Appalachia on a route that could cause flash flooding even upstate. from New York.
One death has been reported so far: a Las Vegas man whose car skidded and fell into a water-filled ditch near Panama City, Florida, on Monday night, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Nearly 30,000 customers were without power in Florida and Georgia after the storm made landfall last night near Cape San Blas in the northwestern Florida Panhandle. Emergency crews were repairing downed power lines and removing trees downed by Fred on Tuesday. Some schools and colleges in Florida, Alabama and Georgia canceled classes Tuesday because of the storm.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that Fred had maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour as he crossed southeast Alabama into west and north Georgia. Forecasters estimate the storm could dump 5-7 inches (13-18 centimeters) of rain across parts of Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas, and possibly up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in isolated locations, potentially generating flash flooding. in mountainous areas.
At least three tornadoes have formed in Georgia: one in Americus, in the southwestern part of the state; another in a rural area of Meriwether County between Atlanta and Columbus, and another in Jeffersonville, near Macon, according to the National Weather Service.
On the other hand, reconnaissance planes detected that Grace recovered the category of tropical cyclone at dawn on Tuesday. Before, it threw strong on the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where on Saturday a 7.2 magnitude earthquake was reported that so far has caused at least 1,900 deaths and left hundreds of people homeless.
In the early hours of Wednesday, Grace had sustained winds of 100 km / h (65 mph) on its way between southeastern Cuba and Jamaica. Forecasters said it could reach hurricane strength when it approaches the Yucatan Peninsula later in the day or early Thursday morning. It was about 65 kms (40 miles) south-southeast of Grand Cayman, where there is an active tropical storm warning. The same warning is repeated in the area between Yucatán and Cancún and Campeche, and from Punta Punta Herrero to Puerto Costa Maya, in the south of the country.
On the other hand, Tropical Storm Henri was about 260 kms (160 miles) south-southwest of Bermuda. The small tropical cyclone had winds of 100 km / h (60 mph) and is expected to pass well south of the island, the hurricane center added.