(Reuters) – Tropical Storm Fred picked up speed and strength early on Monday as it bore down on the Florida Panhandle, prompting some schools in the western part of the state to cancel classes and after-school activities.
The storm was about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Apalachicola and was moving northward at about 10 miles per hour (16 km per hour), according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC). It was expected to make landfall in the eastern Florida Panhandle area later on Monday.
Winds kicked up to 60 mph (97 kph) by midmorning from 50 mph (80 kph) earlier in the day, said Richard Tasch, senior hurricane specialist at the NHC.
“Hurricane Hunter aircraft is flying through there right now, and it’s a little bit stronger and winds are now a little faster,” Tasch said.
Fred was expected to pick up strength as it tracks through warm Gulf of Mexico waters, potentially causing dangerous storm surges of up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) in Florida as well as river flooding and possible tornadoes, Tasch said.
Heavy rainfall of up to 12 inches (30 cm) in some isolated spots in Florida was forecast, as well as drenching downpours in southeastern Alabama, Georgia and the western Carolinas, he said.
But after landfall, the storm was expected to weaken quickly, Tasch said.
Several school districts in western Florida closed for the day, promising to reopen on Tuesday.
“Buses cannot safely transport students at winds greater than 35 mph and current information indicates that we may experience 35 mph wind gusts beginning around 1:00 P.M.,” the Santa Rosa County school district said on its website.
(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
