The National Hurricane Center said Fred regained its tropical storm status in the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday.
A tropical storm warning is now in effect for the coast of the Florida Panhandle from Navarre to the Wakulla/Jefferson County line, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area in the next 24 hours.
A tropical storm watch is in effect for the coast of the Florida Panhandle from the Alabama/Florida border to Navarre.
Fred's maximum sustained winds stood at 45 mph (75 kph) Sunday afternoon.
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Fred was located Sunday afternoon about 235 miles (380 kilometers) south of Panama City, Florida, and moving north-northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).
As of 4 p.m. EDT, Fred was about 190 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida and 235 miles south of Panama City, Florida. It had top sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving north-northwest at 10 mph.
A Tropical Storm Watch was in effect for the coast of the Florida Panhandle from the Alabama/Florida border to Navarre.
Local
Fred is expected to bring heavy rain to the Southeastern U.S. by Monday but is not projected to reach hurricane strength.
Already anticipating Fred, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had already declared a state of emergency for the state’s Panhandle region. In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement Saturday that her administration is monitoring the storm and “will be ready to act from the state level if needed.”
WATCH: Tropical Depression Fred Tracker
A Storm Surge Warning is now in effect along the Florida coast east of Steinhatchee River to Yankeetown.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the coast of the Florida Panhandle from Navarre to the Wakulla/ Jefferson County line.
A tropical storm earlier in the week, Fred weakened to a depression by its spin over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power to some 400,000 customers and caused flooding that forced officials to shut part of the country’s aqueduct system, interrupting water service for hundreds of thousands of people. Local officials reported hundreds of people were evacuated and some buildings were damaged.
