Fred, which regained tropical storm status early Sunday, could blast parts of the panhandle with up to a foot of rain and possibly tornadoes Monday and Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. And Grace could be worse. "Indications point toward Grace tracking slightly farther to the north compared to Fred, so places like the United States... could endure greater impacts compared to Fred," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty warned.

The storm has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, according to an advisory issued at 11 p.m. EDT from the National Hurricane Center. Fred was located Sunday afternoon about 200 miles south of Panama City, Florida, and moving north-northwest at 9 mph. On the forecast track, the system was expected to cross the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall in the western Florida Panhandle Monday afternoon or Monday night, the weather service said. A storm surge warning was in effect for parts of the panhandle. Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist, urged local residents to follow evacuation and other instructions from local authorities.

"This is a life-threatening situation," Beven said. "Take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions." Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for 23 of Florida's 67 counties. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said authorities in her state also were monitoring the storm and encouraged residents to be "weather aware." "Fred’s current projected path includes Alabama," she said. "We are keeping a close eye on this storm as the forecast develops and will be ready to act from the state level if needed."

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