Forecasters with the U.S. National Hurricane Center say Tropical Storm Fred, the sixth storm of the hurricane season, has formed in the Caribbean Sea and is expected to move near the Dominican Republic and Haiti Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and the possibility of flooding and mudslides.
In its latest report, the hurricane center said the storm was positioned about 190 kilometers east-southeast of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and moving west-northwest toward the island nation at about 26 km/ph. Its maximum sustained winds were about 65 km/ph.
Tropical storm warnings have been posted for the Dominican Republic and parts of Haiti. The storm is expected to bring five to 10 centimeters of rain, with as much as 15 cms in isolated areas. The rain is likely to cause flooding in some areas and mudslides are possible.
On its current track, the hurricane center says the storm could threaten the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas by Thursday and move north of the northern coast of central Cuba Friday.
Forecasters say some weakening is likely Wednesday as the storm moves over the island of Hispaniola - where the Dominican Republic and Haiti are located. They say some restrengthening should occur after the system moves away from the island, but it may be slow to regain intensity.
The hurricane center says, as usual, there is significant uncertainty on the storm’s intensity two to three days from now.
