Tracking the Tropics: Tropical Storm Fred moves into Dominican Republic with Florida in forecast path

Tropical Storm Fred, the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is nearing the Dominican Republic with tropical storm warnings in effect for much of Hispaniola Wednesday morning.

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tropical Storm Fred, the sixth name storm of the hurricane season, is moving into the Dominican Republic Wednesday afternoon with its sights set on Florida.

At 2 p.m. ET, the storm was centered about 30 miles west of Santo Domingo with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 60 miles from the storm's center. It was moving west-northwest at 16 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

Fred is expected to be over Hispaniola Wednesday afternoon and evening and to move near the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday.

The storm is expected to weaken, then restrengthen in the Gulf of Mexico. It will likely remain a tropical storm as it moves north into the Gulf and passes by Tampa Bay late Saturday and Sunday, according to the latest forecast track. The National Weather Service said Monday that South Florida could see “widespread and heavy rain” late this week and over the weekend.

Fred is forecast to dump 3 to 5 inches across the Dominican Republic with some areas seeing isolated amounts of 8 inches. Forecasters say the heavy rain could lead to dangerous flooding and mudslides. Haiti, the Turks and Caicos, eastern Bahamas and eastern Cuba could see 1 to 3 inches of rain with some areas seeing isolated amounts of 5 inches.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

• Dominican Republic on the south coast from Punta Palenque
  eastward and on the north coast from the Dominican
  Republic/Haiti border eastward

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:

• Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to
  Gonaives
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• Southeastern Bahamas
• The Cuban provinces of Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas,
  Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantanamo