Tropical Depression Grace soaks Haiti after earthquake

Tropical depression Grace threatened Haiti with 15 inches (38 cm) of rain on Monday. At the same time, the tropical storm intensified as it approached northwest Florida and a third tropical system formed in Bermuda.

The U.S. Air Force’s hurricane reconnaissance aircraft flew eastward at 95 kilometers (60 miles) above Brett’s high winds. At noon, it moved 90 km (55 mi) southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, and 17 km (10 mi) north. It is expected to cross the border into East Florida on Monday afternoon.

Grace, meanwhile, was approaching the Haiti disaster area at a speed of 55 km / h (35 mph) over the Barona Peninsula in the south of the Dominican Republic. Forecasters predict that Grace could add up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) of steady rain and more isolated areas. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has warned of the risk of flooding and landslides, especially along the southern coast of Hispaniola.

Haitians did not have a bad time following Saturday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake, which killed at least 1,300 people.

Grace had its vortex 140 kilometers (85 miles) southeast of Port-au-Prince in Haiti and was moving west at a speed of 24 km / h (15 miles). It is expected to make landfall near the southern coast of Hispaniola on Monday and turn into a tropical storm again on its way to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico between Cuba and Jamaica on Tuesday. Tropical storm monitoring is in place in the Dominican Republic and along the southern coast of Haiti, Cuba and the entire southern coast of the Cayman Islands.

The hurricane center said rain and storm surges were Fred’s main threats.