Highlights
- Fred strengthened into hurricane in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Africa early Monday morning and weakened into a tropical storm Monday night.
- Tropical Storm Fred was located about 55 miles north-northeast of Santo Antao in the Cape Verde Islands as of Monday night. Top sustained winds are 70 mph.
- Fred will continue to move through the Republic of Cabo Verde into early Tuesday morning. Strong winds and heavy rainfall will persist as Fred moves through.
- A tropical storm warning has been issued for portions of Cabo Verde.
- Fred will continue to weaken this week in the open Atlantic Ocean and is no threat to the Caribbean or the United States.
Current status
Fred Projected Path
Tropical Storm Fred was moving through the republic of Cabo Verde in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa as of Monday night.
Fred will continue to impact the islands through early Tuesday morning.
A hurricane warning was issued for Cabo Verde by the Cabo Verde Meteorological Service and this may be the first hurricane warning on record issued for the islands. The hurricane warning was canceled on Monday night and a tropical storm warning was issued for portions of the islands.
Tropical storm conditions will persist across parts of Cabo Verde into early Tuesday. Tropical storm force winds extend out 80 miles from the center of Fred.
Rainfall accumulations of 4 to 6 inches are likely with up to 10 inches possible in spots, which could trigger life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides. Coastal flooding is an additional concern in areas of onshore winds.
After passing through Cabo Verde Islands, Fred will turn west-northwestward over the open Atlantic Ocean. Southwesterly winds aloft, stable air and cooler water temperatures should begin to weaken Fred later in the week.
There is no indication at this time that Fred will come anywhere near the Caribbean or North America based on the latest computer model guidance and the state of the atmosphere. In fact, Fred is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression and then a remnant low in about 4-5 days.
Rare Hurricane For Cape Verde Islands
Fred is just the fourth Atlantic named storm to form east of 19 degrees West longitude, the National Hurricane Center said in its advisory issued for the storm Sunday morning.According to a blog from Bob Henson of wunderground.com, there is no reliable record of a hurricane ever making landfall in Cabo Verde. Henson said that an 1892 storm reportedly intensified into a hurricane while passing to the south of the northwest Cape Verde Islands. In 1998, Jeanne reached hurricane status while passing south of the islands by about 100 miles, Henson added.
The islands have seen deadly impacts from tropical storms. The deadliest was Tropical Storm Fran in 1984 whose heavy rains caused flooding that killed more than two dozen people, Henson said.
(MORE: Expert Analysis | Hurricane Central)
Watches and Warnings
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