Storm surge, heavy rains and high winds hit Florida as Tropical Storm “Fred” makes landfall, U.S.
Tropical Storm "Fred" — the 6th named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season — made landfall at 19:15 UTC (15:15 LT) on August 16, 2021, near Cape San Blas, Florida, U.S. The storm peaked at 100 km/h (65 mph) just one hour before and maintained that strength until landfall.
Multiple people had to be rescued from their flooded homes, including a young child, said AccuWeather National Reported Bill Wadell1 who was at the scene in Havenwood Garden Apartments at the time. This is less than 16 km (10 miles) N of Panama City, FL.
"This region just really got hammered by the back end of Fred," Wadell said.
"Storm surge, howling winds, and power outages all preceded Fred, and they continued to build upon landfall. Over 36 000 customers in Florida were without power at one point Monday evening," AccuWeather's Adriana Navarro reported.1
Fred weakened into a depression over extreme southeastern Alabama at 09:00 UTC on August 17. At the time, its center was located about 25 km (15 miles) SSW of Columbus, Georgia.
However, the system continues dumping heavy rain, spreading flood threats inland across portions of eastern Alabama and western Georgia.
"Heavy rainfall may lead to considerable flash, urban, small stream, and isolated river flooding impacts across portions of the Florida Panhandle, southeastern Alabama, and from
western Georgia into the southern Appalachians through Tuesday, August 17," NHC forecaster Stewart noted.2
"By the middle of the week, Fred or its remnants will lift northward and impact the central Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic. Landslides are possible across the mountains of North Carolina and Blue Ridge Escarpment today."
Tropical Storm "Fred" at 19:20 UTC on August 16, 2021. Credit: NOAA/GOES-East, RAMMB/CIRA, TW
Fred is the 6th earliest 6th Atlantic named storm formation in the satellite era (since 1966). Top 5 earliest 6th storm formations since 1966 are: 2020, 2005, 2012, 2017, 1995.3
At the time Fred was making landfall, a new tropical cyclone was forming near Bermuda and was named Henri at 21:00 UTC. Meanwhile, Tropical Depression "Grace" was dumping heavy rains on quake-stricken Haiti.4
References:
1 Fred crashes ashore, leaves Florida communities underwater – AccuWeather
2 Tropical Depression Fred Forecast Discussion No. 31 – NHC
3 CSU Meteorologist Philip Klotzbach – Twitter
4 Violent M7.2 earthquake in Haiti claims 1 419 lives, leaves 6 900 injured and 84 585 homes damaged or destroyed – The Watchers
Featured image: Tropical Storm "Fred" at 19:20 UTC on August 16, 2021. Credit: NOAA/GOES-East, RAMMB/CIRA, TW
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