WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021 3:01 p.m. – Fred, the Sixth System in the Atlantic Basin, was born on Tuesday evening, and the System is about to dump good amounts of rain over the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The past few weeks have been relatively calm in the Atlantic after Hurricane Elsa, which formed at the beginning of July, passed. But now it appears that activity is picking up again in this sector, while Tropical Storm Fred has just been born and a potential seventh system could even join it!
West Indies getting ready
After touching Puerto Rico in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Fred is now heading to the island of Hispaniola, which includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti. According to current models, a tropical storm can dump between 100 and 200 mm of rain on the most populous island of the Caribbean. At the moment, the tropical storm is moving at a speed of about thirty kilometers per hour and sports winds of 65 km / h.
Although activity has been fairly quiet in the Atlantic basin in recent weeks, Fred’s access remains a record, as it is the sixth oldest F-beginning system for this sector.
On the way to the United States
The storm should lose some intensity as it passes through the Caribbean. However, the abundance of moisture and heat in the Gulf of Mexico will likely allow it to regain strength before reaching Florida. The amount of power boosted will play a major role in the amount of precipitation that could fall on the US state. Fred is expected to arrive in Florida later this week, but his effects can be felt as early as Friday night.
A seventh regime on the horizon?
Separately, the National Hurricane Center has identified another system off the Cape Verde Islands that appears to have the potential to become a tropical storm within the next week. If so, it would be System Seven in the Atlantic.
