Wet and unwelcome, Fred spawns twisters and flooding in US

The Associated Press

Tropical Storm Fred weakened to a slump and spawned respective evident tornadoes successful Georgia connected Tuesday arsenic it dumped dense rains into the Appalachian mountains on a way that could origin flash floods arsenic acold northbound arsenic upstate New York.

One decease was reported — a Las Vegas antheral whose car hydroplaned adjacent Panama City, Florida, Monday nighttime and overturned into a water-filled ditch, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Fewer than 30,000 customers were without powerfulness successful Florida and Georgia aft the tempest crashed ashore precocious Monday day adjacent Cape San Blas successful the Florida Panhandle. Emergency crews were repairing downed powerfulness lines and clearing toppled trees successful Fred’s aftermath. Some schools and colleges successful Florida, Alabama and Georgia cancelled Tuesday’s in-person classes owed to the storm.

The National Hurricane Center said Fred had apical sustained winds of 35 mph (56 kph) arsenic it crossed southeast Alabama into occidental and northbound Georgia. Senior hurricane specializer Stacy Stewart said Tuesday that it could dump 5 to 7 inches (13-18 centimeters) of rainfall into parts of Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas — and perchance up to 10 (25 centimeters) of rainfall successful isolated spots, causing flash flooding successful mountainous areas.

At slightest 3 evident tornadoes touched down successful Georgia: One deed Americus, successful the southwestern portion of the state, 1 deed a agrarian country of Meriwether County, betwixt Atlanta and Columbus, and 1 deed Jeffersonville, adjacent Macon, according to the National Weather Service.

The tempest deed Americus astir 1:30 a.m., knocking implicit trees, with immoderate falling connected houses, and downing powerfulness lines, WRBL-TV reported.

An Academy Sports warehouse adjacent Jeffersonville was deed by different apt tornado earlier 6 a.m., with metallic siding torn disconnected the building, a semi motortruck trailer tipped implicit and Twiggs County Sheriff Darren Mitchum telling WMAZ-TV that 8 boats were scattered astir by the storm. Weather officials warned of a tornado successful the Jeffersonville country arsenic well.

Heavy rains drenched parts of metro Atlanta conscionable earlier dawn Tuesday, snarling commutes. About 2 inches of rainfall was recorded successful Atlanta and Macon, with much than an inch falling overnight successful Augusta and Columbus.

Meanwhile, reconnaissance craft recovered Grace regained tropical cyclone spot aboriginal Tuesday. Grace lashed earthquake-damaged Haiti arsenic a tropical slump connected Monday, dumping up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rainfall that pelted radical huddling nether improvised shelters successful the aftermath of Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake, present blamed for much than 1,400 deaths.

Grace’s sustained winds grew to 45 mph (75 kph) arsenic it near Haiti connected a westward way betwixt southeastern Cuba and Jamaica. Forecasters said it could beryllium adjacent hurricane spot arsenic it approaches Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula precocious Wednesday oregon aboriginal Thursday.

Tropical Storm Henri, meanwhile, was astir 135 miles (215 kilometers) south-southeast of Bermuda. The tiny tropical cyclone had 50 mph (80 kph) winds and was expected to ellipse wide astir the island, the hurricane halfway said.