1. Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight, and are expected to begin in the Dominican Republic Wednesday morning. Tropical storm conditions are possible in northern Haiti and the southeastern Bahamas by late Wednesday.

2. Heavy rainfall could lead to flash, urban, and small stream flooding, along with possible rapid river rises and the potential for mudslides across the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. The greatest threat for flooding impacts will be across eastern and southern Puerto Rico.

3. There is a risk of wind and rainfall impacts elsewhere in portions of Hispaniola, the Bahamas, and Cuba during the next several days, although the forecast is more uncertain than usual since Fred is forecast to interact with Hispaniola on Wednesday. Interests in these areas should monitor Fred's progress and updates to the forecast.

4. There is a risk of wind and rainfall impacts in Florida beginning Friday in the Keys and spreading northward through portions of the Peninsula and the Panhandle this weekend. However, it is too soon to determine the exact timing, location, and magnitude of any potential impacts. Interests throughout Florida should monitor Fred's progress and check updates to the forecast.

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY: None. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
- Puerto Rico, including Culebra and Vieques
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Dominican Republic on the south coast from Punta Palenque eastward and on the north coast from Cabo Frances Viejo eastward A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
- Dominican Republic on the north coast from Cabo Frances Viejo to the Dominican Republic/Haiti border
- Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Gonaives
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Southeastern Bahamas A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within the next 12 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area. Interests elsewhere in Haiti and the Bahamas, as well as in eastern and central Cuba, should monitor the progress of this system. For storm information specific to your area in the United States, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. For storm information specific to your area outside of the United States, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service.

Key messages for Tropical Storm Fred can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT1, WMO header WTNT41 KNHC and on the web at www.hurricanes.gov/graphics_at1.shtml?key_messages.

RAINFALL: Fred is expected to produce the following rainfall amounts: Over the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic...2 to 4 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches. Heavy rainfall could lead to flash, urban, and small stream flooding, along with possible rapid river rises and the potential for mudslides across the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Over Haiti, the Turks and Caicos, eastern Bahamas, and eastern Cuba...1 to 3 inches with isolated maximum totals of 5 inches.

WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning areas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico during the next several hours, and in the warning area in the Dominican Republic by early Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions are possible elsewhere along the northern coasts of the Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, the Turks and Caicos, and the southeastern Bahamas beginning late Wednesday.

SURF: Swells generated by Tropical Storm Fred are affecting portions of the Leeward Islands. These swells are expected to spread across the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico today and reach portions of Hispaniola on Wednesday, where they could cause life threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

At 1100 PM AST (0300 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Fred was located by the San Juan NOAA Doppler weather radar near latitude 17.4 North, longitude 66.8 West. Fred is moving toward the west near 17 mph (28 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue tonight. A turn back toward the west northwest is forecast to occur early Wednesday, with a west northwestward motion continuing during the next few days. On the forecast track, Fred is expected to pass near the southern coast of Puerto Rico tonight and early Wednesday, be near or over Hispaniola on Wednesday, and be near the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Slight strengthening is forecast overnight before Fred reaches eastern Dominican Republic Wednesday morning. Some weakening is likely while the system interacts with Hispaniola on Wednesday. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center. A wind gust to 41 mph (66 km/h) was recently measured by a Weatherflow observing site in Las Mareas along the south central coast of Puerto Rico. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1009 mb (29.80 inches).

Data from satellites, the San Juan NOAA Doppler weather radar, and an Air Force Reserve Unit reconnaissance aircraft indicate that the low-level circulation has become better defined since the previous advisory and,thus, the disturbance has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Fred. Although the surface and low-level circulations are vertically aligned, radar data indicate that the mid-level circulation is still tilted about 40 n mi to the south. However, that mid-level feature has been steadily gaining ground from its earlier 100-nmi southeastward displacement. Radar Doppler velocity data, aircraft 850-mb flight-level wind data of 43 kt and SFMR surface winds of 33 kt, plus earlier surface observations of sustained 33-kt winds, support an initial intensity of 35 kt.

The initial motion estimate is westward or 270/15 kt. However, this should be a short-term motion overnight due to interaction with the mountainous terrain of Puerto Rico to the north. By early Wednesday morning, Fred is expected to resume a west-northwestward motion and pass through the Mona Passage, reaching the eastern Dominican Republic shortly after sunrise. A strong subtropical ridge to the north of the cyclone is forecast by the global models to basically remain static across the central and western Atlantic Ocean for the next five days. Given this pattern, Fred is expected to maintain a west-northwestward motion through 96 hours, remaining just offshore the north coast of Haiti and Cuba during that time. After emerging over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on day 4, Fred is forecast to gradually turn more north-northwestward as the cyclone rounds the southwestern periphery of the aforementioned ridge. The latest NHC track forecast models strongly support this track scenario, although there was a slight northward shift in the guidance envelope on this cycle. The new official track forecast was shifted a little north of the previous one through 72 hours, and then lies down the middle of the tightly packed track consensus models.

Conditions remain favorable for some strengthening before Fred reaches Hispaniola in about 12 h, but the intensity likely won't be much stronger than 40-45 kt at landfall. Interaction with the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola on Wednesday should result in some weakening, but tropical-storm-force winds could occur along the the north coast of the island if the center shifts a little more to right of the forecast track. After emerging back over water by late Wednesday, only slow strengthening is forecast in the 36-60-h time period due to westerly vertical wind shear of about 20 kt expected to affect the cyclone. On days 4 and 5, however, Fred is expected to be moving over warmer sea-surface temperatures and into a much weaker wind shear regime, which would favor more robust strengthening. As a result, some of the regional and statistical- dynamical intensity models bring Fred near or to hurricane strength during that time. However, there is uncertainty Fred's structure after interaction with Hispaniola and possibly Cuba, and continued disagreement between the global models on how the upper-level wind flow pattern near the cyclone will evolve, which ranges from favorable anticyclonic outflow to strong southwesterly shear. Given these factors, the NHC intensity forecast was only nudged slightly higher than the previous advisory, and lies between the consensus models HCCA and IVCN, and the SHIPS and LGEM models.