National Hurricane Center: Tropical Storm Fred expected to form Tuesday near Puerto Rico

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Tropical Storm Fred is expected to form later Tuesday in the Caribbean near Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Potential Tropical Cyclone Six is located about 330 miles east-southeast of Puerto Rico. It has sustained winds of 35 miles per hour and is moving west-northwest at 17 miles per hour.

The system’s forecast has it strengthening into Tropical Storm Fred sometime Tuesday as it tracks across the northeastern Caribbean Sea.

Tropical Storm conditions are expected in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday and then in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. By the end of Wednesday or early Thursday, those conditions should reach Haiti and the Bahamas.

As the system tracks through the various islands in the Caribbean, it could fluctuate around tropical storm strength. Depending on its ultimate path, the system could strengthen as it approaches Florida–although at this time it is still not expected to strengthen into a hurricane.

If Fred does form, it would be the first named storm in five weeks. Our last named storm was Elsa, which became a hurricane July 2. Elsa made landfall in Florida on July 5 and headed north through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina before heading north along the East Coast.

Elsa was the earliest fifth-named storm ever, breaking the record set the year before in what became the most active hurricane season ever. However, since Elsa, there has been little to no tropical development.

Still the busiest part of the hurricane season remains ahead of us. Last week, the NOAA said the hurricane season “shows no signs of slowing,” and even updated its prediction from 13-20 named storms to 15-21.