TRACK, MODELS, UPDATES: Fred becomes tropical storm again on path toward Florida Panhandle

ORLANDO, Fla. – The remnants of Fred have redeveloped into tropical storm over the warm Gulf of Mexico waters.

As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Fred’s center was about 320 miles south of Pensacola, heading north-northwest at 12 mph, with sustained winds of 40 mph. Fred was forecast to move across the Gulf before reaching the coast Monday night or Tuesday morning, forecasters said. They said people from Alabama to the central Florida Panhandle should monitor the system’s progress.

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Anticipating Fred, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the state’s Panhandle region. And Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement Saturday saying her administration was monitoring the weather and “will be ready to act from the state level if needed.”

A tropical storm warning has been issued for the coast of the Florida Panhandle from Navarre to the Wakulla/Jefferson County line. A storm surge warning has been issued for the coast of the Florida Panhandle from Indian Pass to Steinhatchee River.

Tropical storm conditions are possible across portions of the Florida Panhandle and Alabama Monday. Flooding is possible across the Big Bend and Panhandle.

Once a tropical storm, Fred weakened back to a depression as it moved over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power to some 400,000 customers and caused flooding that forced officials to shut down part of the country’s aqueduct system, interrupting water service for hundreds of thousands of people.

Local officials reported hundreds of people were evacuated and some buildings were damaged.

In addition, a small, but well-defined area of low pressure sat 135 miles east to northeast of Bermuda on Sunday night. The depression should continue to make a clock-wise path around Bermuda.

This motion is due to a mid level ridge near the Carolinas. Over the next day as the system moves around Bermuda, it could strengthen into the next tropical storm. If that happens it would be Henri. Tropical storm watch is in place for Bermuda.