- Fred, which made landfall in the Florida Panhandle, is weakening but still could bring up to 10 inches of rain to Georgia and the southern Appalachians.
- In the Caribbean, Tropical Storm Grace was forecast to bring up to 10 more inches of rain to Haiti, which is still recovering from a massive, deadly earthquake.
- And a third storm named Henri is swirling in the Atlantic but isn’t expected to reach the US.
A weakening Tropical Depression Fred trekked inland Tuesday as it spawned several tornadoes and dumped heavy rain across the U.S. Southeast. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Grace in the Caribbean was forecast to become a hurricane as it continued to drench Haiti, still reeling from a massive earthquake that killed more than 1,400 people.
A hurricane warning was issued for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday afternoon, as Grace was forecast to hit the region as an 85-mph hurricane by early Thursday morning.
Fred was forecast to bring as much as 10 inches of rain Tuesday to parts of Georgia and the southern Appalachians after it lashed the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend coasts Monday, knocking out power for thousands of people and washing out flood-prone roads.
One death was reported – a Las Vegas man whose car hydroplaned near Panama City, Florida, Monday night and overturned into a water-filled ditch, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The storm made landfall near Cape San Blas in the Florida Panhandle, but its winds had since weakened to 25 mph as of late Tuesday afternoon.
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Meanwhile, the tail end of Grace was forecast to bring 5 to 10 inches of rain, with patches up to 15 inches in some parts of southern Haiti on Tuesday as the storm also drenches Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters said Grace should reach hurricane strength in a couple of days after it enters open water on its way toward the Yucatan Peninsula.
A third storm swirling in the Atlantic, Henri, was forecast to turn west Tuesday as it passes south of Bermuda, but the storm is forecast to head north later in the week and spin out to sea before reaching the U.S.
Here’s what we know.
Fred drenches Florida but no major damage
Power lines and trees were down and roads were damaged, but Florida’s Panhandle and Big Bend were spared widespread damage.
Areas along the Panhandle got 4 to 6 inches of rain as Fred passed through, and some river flooding was expected in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service.
Cameron Young, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, said Apalachee Bay saw 2 to 3 feet of storm surge and general rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches, with some places seeing higher amounts.
“It’s a good reminder to everyone that we should always be prepared for tropical systems no matter their intensity,” Young said.
More on Fred:Officials say Fred a ‘good reminder’ to be prepared
Around 9,000 customers in Florida and another 9,000 in Georgia were without power Tuesday afternoon, according to online tracker PowerOutage.us.
The storm was passing through Georgia on Tuesday.
“Although Fred is weakening, the system is still expected to bring flooding rains to portions of the southeastern and eastern United States during the next couple of days,” the National Hurricane Center said.
By Thursday, central Appalachia and parts of the mid-Atlantic could see 2 to 4 inches of rain, with some areas reaching half a foot.
The National Weather Service said “this area is particularly sensitive to heavy rainfall because of the varying terrain, and widespread flash flooding is expected, along with the possibility of landslides particularly in the mountains of North Carolina.”
At least three apparent tornadoes touched down in Georgia on Tuesday: One hit Americus, in the southwestern part of the state; one hit a rural area of Meriwether County, between Atlanta and Columbus; and one hit Jeffersonville, near Macon, according to the National Weather Service.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation said two of three westbound lanes of Interstate 40 in Haywood County, west of Asheville, were closed Tuesday afternoon due to a rockslide triggered as the rain blew through.
Grace keeps dumping rain on Haiti, may become hurricane as it heads toward Mexico
About 5 miles south of Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grace continued to drench Haiti on Tuesday.
Some areas have seen as much as 10 inches of rain, and more was possible Tuesday.
More:Haiti slammed by tropical storm days after deadly quake: ‘Countless Haitian families have lost everything’
The heavy rain in Haiti “should lead to flash and urban flooding, and possible mudslides,” the Hurricane Center said.
The storm came as Haiti was still assessing the damage from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island Saturday. At least 1,419 people were killed and 6,000 were injured in the quake, according to Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency.
“We are in an exceptional situation,” Prime Minister Ariel Henry told reporters Monday afternoon as the storm approached.
Scores of buildings were destroyed by the earthquake and nearly 5,000 were damaged, leaving 30,000 families homeless.
Many Haitians were outside, waiting in lines at hospitals for treatment from earthquake injuries, as the storm rolled through.
“We had planned to put up tents (in hospital patios), but we were told that could not be safe,” said Gede Peterson, director of Les Cayes General Hospital.
Grace was forecast to move over Jamaica on Tuesday, where it could dump up to 9 inches of rain in some areas and bring tropical-storm-force winds.
The storm was heading west at 15 mph. After it passes Jamaica, National Hurricane Center forecasters say Grace will hit warm water and a more divergent upper-level wind flow pattern.
“These two favorable conditions should allow for Grace to slowly intensify and possibly be near hurricane strength by the time the cyclone reaches the Yucatan peninsula in about 48 hours,” the Hurricane Center said.
Henri spins around Bermuda, not expected to hit US
The third storm is Henri, a slow-moving tropical storm that was about 135 miles south-southeast of Bermuda on Tuesday.
Forecasters said Henri would strengthen over the next day. It’s expected to turn west before it turns north on Thursday, and then head back out into the Atlantic by the end of the week.
Contributing: Jeff Burlew and Tori Lynn Schneider, Tallahassee Democrat; The Associated Press
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