Tropical Storm Fred formed in the Caribbean Tuesday night, strengthening from a disturbance as it lashed Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rain, forecasters said.
Parts of the island, as well as the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands could see up to 4 inches of rain, with isolated maximums of 6 inches, the National Hurricane Center said.
Fred is the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
At 11 p.m. Tuesday, it had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was around 215 miles east-southeast of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The storm was moving west at 17 mph.
Officials in Puerto Rico warned people to take the storm seriously. The national hurricane center said that heavy rains were spreading across the island.
“Do not wait until the last minute to mobilize,” Nino Correa, Puerto Rico’s emergency management commissioner said. “We don’t want to have fatalities.”
Tropical storm warnings and watches were in place for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hispaniola but none had been issued for the continental United States yet.
Forecast tracks estimate the storm approaching Florida later this week, with a risk of rain and wind affecting the Keys starting Friday, forecasters said.
“However, it is too soon to determine the exact timing, location and magnitude of any potential impacts” for the state, the hurricane center said in a discussion on its website.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted a busier-than-average Atlantic season, and last week said conditions remain favorable for that.
In an Aug. 4 update, the agency predicted 15 to 21 named storms, with between seven and 10 hurricanes.
Last season was a record-breaking one, with 30 named storms, 12 of which made landfall. Those included two hurricanes, Laura and Delta, that struck southwest Louisiana within six weeks of each other.
The Associated Press contributed.