Tropical Depression Fred

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Tropical Depression Fred is a long way off, but local officials are keeping an eye on the disturbance east of Cuba because it might be headed our way.

As of late Thursday morning, Fred remained disorganized, according to the National Weather Service. It is forecast to re-strengthen into a tropical storm by Friday night and to reach the northeast Gulf of Mexico around Sunday.

The NWS’s Tallahassee, Fla., office posted a five-day forecast on its website at weather.gov/tae that shows a cone of uncertainty sweeping through the eastern Gulf and across the Florida Panhandle. Depending on its exact track, the center of the storm could pass anywhere between eastern Georgia and eastern Mississippi sometime on Monday, probably as a tropical storm.

After an online briefing from the weather service on Thursday, Colquitt County Emergency Management Director Justin Cox said the main concerns from the storm are heavy rains and flash flooding.

“We have to be cognizant of an already-saturated ground and any additional rainfall and winds will make our problems worse,” Cox said. “Localized flash flooding is a very real possibility with this storm, as well as these ‘pop-up’ storms we tend to get late evenings. The additional rain and wind will make toppled trees and downed utility lines an issue.”

As time passes, forecasters will have a clearer picture of where Fred is likely to go.

Cox said officials will receive another briefing from the National Weather Service at 2:30 p.m. Friday, and based on that information will call local emergency leaders to a planning session Sunday if Colquitt County is expected to be affected.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to review their hurricane plans and make sure they’re prepared.