The tropical weather system formerly known as Fred is barely organized, forecasters said Thursday, but it still could give Key Biscayne and Miami a soaking this weekend.
National Hurricane Center forecaster Jack Beven said that Air Force and NOAA aircraft investigated the system this morning and found no organized convection near the center.
“The circulation is barely closed,” Beven wrote. Still, forecasters think the system will regain tropical storm status and heavy rain and high wind could still impact South Florida early Saturday.
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Three to five inches of rain are still forecast, with isolated spots getting as much as eight inches of rain, with heavy surf reaching south Florida early Saturday.
Later on, Fred is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico, with a landfall taking place somewhere along the Florida Panhandle late Sunday or Monday.
At 11 a.m., Eastern Time, Fred was about 230 miles east of Camaguey, Cuba, heading west-northwest at 14 mile-per-hour. Top sustained winds were 35 miles-per-hour.
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.