Tropical Storm Grace forms in Atlantic, Caribbean issue warnings

Caribbean: Tropical Storm Grace originates in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning, while Fred is a tropical depression that leads to the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Both systems are expected to bring heavy rainfall and flooding. Fred, previously classified as a tropical storm, could recover such power later in the day or Sunday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Grace was centered about 675 kilometers east of the Leeward Islands and was able to reach the Lesser Antilles on Saturday night. It moves west at 35 km/h with a maximum sustained wind of 65 km/h.

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A tropical storm warning has been issued for the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts-Nevis. Anguilla, Montserrat, British Virgin Islands, St Martin, St Barthelemy as well as Sint Maarten. Forecasters said Grace could reach the Dominican Republic on Monday.

Grace is expected to bring 7 to 15 inches of rain to the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Monday.

Meanwhile, Fred remained a tropical depression with a wind speed of about 55 km/h. Forecasters said the system looked "disorganized" and predicted it would pass west of the lower Florida Keys on Saturday afternoon and then move to the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

[caption id="attachment_36838" align="aligncenter" width="387"] Wind Speed Probabilities of Tropical Storm Grace[/caption]

A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Florida Keys west of the Seven Mile Bridge to the Dry Tortugas. Fred was centered 145 kilometers south of Key West on Saturday morning, moving west-northwest at 20 km / h.

Fred, once a tropical storm, weakened into a depression through its turn over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it eliminated the power of about 400,000 customers and caused floods that forced officials to part of shut down the country's aqueduct system, disrupting water services for hundreds of thousands of people. Local officials reported hundreds of people had been evacuated and some buildings damaged.

Fred was expected to bring up to 7.5 to 12.5 inches of rain by Monday at the Keys and in southern Florida.

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No evacuations are planned for tourists or residents in Monroe County, Keys officials said Friday. Provincial emergency management officials are advising people on campsites, recreational vehicles, trailers, ships on board and mobile homes to seek shelter in a safe structure during the weather.