Fred weaker, but likely to drench Florida as tropical storm

Tropical Depression Fred is heading for a drenching of Cuba and the Bahamas on a forecast track that would carry it toward south Florida as a tropical storm by Saturday

Tropical Weather

Tropical Depression Fred headed for a drenching of Cuba and the Bahamas on Thursday on a forecast track that would carry it toward south Florida as a tropical storm by Saturday.

The main threat to the U.S. appeared to be heavy rains affecting Florida and parts of the Southeast starting on Friday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center

It said 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 12.5 centimeters) of rain were expected across the Florida Keys and southern peninsula by Monday, with isolated maximums of 8 inches (20 centimeters).

Already a tropical storm, it was weakened back to depression force by its spin over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power to some 300,000 customers and caused flooding that forced officials to shut down part of the country's aqueduct system.

Heavy rains continued to pound Hispaniola, which the two nations share, on Thursday.

The Hurricane Center said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) Thursday morning while centered about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west-southwest of Great Inagua Island in the southernmost Bahamas and 80 miles (175 kilometers) northeast of Guantanamo, Cuba.

It was heading west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph), a pace that was expected to slow.

Fred was expected to produce 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 12.5 centimeters) o rain across the Dominican Republic and the western Bahamas, as well as 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 centimeters) over Haiti, the Turks and Caicos, the eastern Bahamas, and Cuba.

Fred became the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season late Tuesday as it moved past the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.