Storm tracker: Hurricane Grace forms as Fred drenches East and Henri eyes New England

Grace strengthened to a hurricane Wednesday morning on its way toward Mexico, where it could soak the Yucatan Peninsula with up to a foot of rain.

It's the second hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.

With 75 mph winds, Grace brought heavy rainfall and gusty winds to the Cayman Islands on Wednesday, forecasters said, and the storm drenched earthquake-stricken Haiti this week.

Grace is one of three active Atlantic storms in a busy August for hurricane season. Tropical Depression Fred was still bringing rain across the eastern USA on Wednesday while Tropical Storm Henri could become a hurricane as it spins far out in the Atlantic.

Fred, which made landfall in Florida as a tropical storm, brought several possible tornadoes to Georgia and North Carolina, and the storm was blamed for at least one death Monday: a Las Vegas man whose car hydroplaned near Panama City, Florida, and overturned into a water-filled ditch, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

On its current path, Fred was expected to move across Pennsylvania and western New York, then New England as the system slowly transitions into a non-tropical low.

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Henri could pick up to hurricane strength by Friday, and changes in its forecast track place Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in its possible path, though there remains plenty of uncertainty as to where it will go, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tornadoes and flooding in Fred's path across US

Although it's slowly losing steam as it treks across the eastern USA, Tropical Depression Fred caused twisters and prompted flash flood warnings in several states.

According to the National Weather Service, as many as 14 possible tornadoes were reported across Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina on Tuesday as Fred passed.

In Georgia, the tornadoes damaged homes, an apartment complex and a sporting goods warehouse, which ripped off metal siding and knocked around a semitruck trailer in Jeffersonville.

Flooding in parts of North Carolina forced some people to evacuate. In Grovemont, east of Asheville, residents were told to shelter in place instead as roads had become impassible.

Transylvania County, south of Asheville, declared a state of emergency after 10 inches of rain fell Monday, causing landslides, flooding roads and destroying at least one home.

“It really caught everyone off guard,” Transylvania County Chairman Jason Chappell said. “No one was forecasting that amount of rain.”

Power outages were reported across several states. More than 18,000 customers in North Carolina and 12,000 customers in West Virginia were without electricity, according to the online tracker PowerOutages.us.

Grace reaches Category 1 hurricane strength as it nears Mexico

Tropical Storm Grace strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday morning as it approached the Yucatan Peninsula, where it was expected to make landfall early Thursday.

The storm, about 295 miles east of Tulum, Mexico, was expected to continue strengthening as it moved over the warm waters of the Caribbean, and it could reach winds of up to 85 mph.

The National Hurricane Center said hurricane conditions and dangerous storm surge were expected Wednesday in Mexico as the storm could bring up to a foot of rain in some areas and "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

Though Grace is likely to weaken during its push over the peninsula, once it reaches the Gulf, it could intensify back to hurricane strength before reaching central Mexico by Saturday, forecasters said. Winds could regain strength to 85 mph, but the storm is expected to rapidly dissipate once it reaches the mountains in central Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said.

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In Haiti, Grace temporarily halted search-and-rescue efforts after a deadly magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook the island over the weekend. The storm raised the threat of mudslides and flash flooding, and many residents seeking treatment for earthquake-related injuries were drenched as they waited outside packed hospitals.

Henri's effects could be felt on Cape Cod

Although its exact path is unclear, Tropical Storm Henri could spin close enough to the USA that its effects are felt along Cape Cod over the weekend, the National Hurricane Center forecast track shows.

Henri was churning about 190 miles southwest of Bermuda, with maximum winds up to 65 mph.

The National Hurricane Center forecast it to move west before making a turn north and northeast this week, gaining strength to hurricane status by Friday.

During the weekend, forecasts remain more uncertain as to where Henri will go, and at least one model shows it moving toward the New England coast, the National Hurricane Center said.

"Swells could increase along the southeast and mid-Atlantic U.S. coasts by the end of the week. These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents," the Hurricane Center said.

Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY: Joel Burgess, Asheville Citizen Times; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Grace forms; Fred hits South, East; Henri eyes New England