Tropical Storm Fred Makes Landfall On Florida Panhandle
Storm surge warnings posted for the coast from Panama City Beach east through Florida’s Big Bend.
LEARN MOREAugust 17, 2021
Tropical Storm Fred weakened to a depression and spawned several apparent tornadoes in Georgia on Tuesday as it dumped heavy rains into the Appalachian mountains along a path that could cause flash floods as far north as upstate New York.
One death was reported — a Las Vegas man whose car hydroplaned near Panama City, Florida, Monday night and overturned into a water-filled ditch, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Fewer than 30,000 customers were without power in Florida and Georgia after the storm crashed ashore late Monday afternoon near Cape San Blas in the Florida Panhandle.
Emergency crews were repairing downed power lines and clearing toppled trees in Fred's aftermath. Some schools and colleges in Florida, Alabama and Georgia cancelled Tuesday's in-person classes due to the storm.
Parts of western North Carolina, already soaked by rain not directly associated with Fred, braced for more rainfall through early Wednesday. Transylvania County, south of Asheville, declared a state of emergency after 10 inches fell Monday, causing landslides, flooding roads and destroying at least one home.
At least three apparent tornadoes touched down in Georgia: One hit Americus, in the southwestern part of the state, one hit a rural area of Meriwether County, between Atlanta and Columbus, and one hit Jeffersonville, near Macon, according to the National Weather Service.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
