Tropical storm Fred expected to make landfall in Florida panhandle on Monday night

Storm picks up 40mph winds in Gulf of Mexico

Tropical storm Fred is expected to make landfall in Florida on Monday as it picks up strength in the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm now has sustained winds of 40mph and is expected to drive wind and rain towards southwestern Florida on Sunday, causing possible flooding and an isolated tornado.

A flood watch has been issued for southwest Florida until 8pm on Sunday.

Right behind Fred is tropical storm Grace which started to form on the east coast of the Leeward Islands on Saturday and is moving south of Puerto Rico as of Sunday morning, also with winds of up 40mph, WINK News reported.

Moving west, Grace will cause the Antilles to experience tropical storm conditions, but the mountainous terrain of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and Cuba could weaken the storm.

However if storm Grace picks up strength instead, it may impact southwest Florida in the middle of the week.

City workers fill sandbags at a drive-thru sandbag distribution event for residents ahead of the arrival of rains associated with tropical depression Fred, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021 (AP)

The National Hurricane Centre has added a third area to watch for a possible new storm named Henri, which has a 30 per cent development forecast over the next five days.

Southwestern Florida can expect heavy winds on Sunday as tropical storm Fred passes the state to the west.

2021 is expected to be a busy hurricane season after a record-breaking number of storms last year in the Atlantic.

Hurricanes and other types of extreme weather is expected to become more frequent and intensify due to the climate crisis.