Tropical storm Fred forms in the Caribbean

They analyze how climate change affects hurricanes 0:54

(CNN) -

Tropical Storm Fred formed Tuesday night off the coast of Puerto Rico, becoming the sixth named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.

At 11:00 p.m. Tuesday, the storm was about 70 kilometers south-southwest of Ponce, Puerto Rico, with sustained winds of 65 km / h, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Much of the Caribbean is bracing for the storm as it is expected to continue west near Puerto Rico, then onto Hispaniola on Wednesday and near the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Puerto Rico, including Culebra and Vieques, the US Virgin Islands, and parts of the Dominican Republic.

Tropical storm watches include the southeastern Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, parts of Haiti and the north coast of the Dominican Republic, according to the NHC.

• This was the disastrous 2020 hurricane season

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are possible in the warning area within 36 hours.

Fred is not currently expected to become a hurricane, but the forecast is likely to change as the storm progresses, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said.

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By Friday, the storm is forecast to hit South Florida, possibly making landfall over the Florida Keys, Guy said.

Vehicles travel on Highway # 2 between heavy rains and the alert for Tropical Storm Fred, in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico.

Dangerous waves and rip currents to the Caribbean

The system will bring torrential rains to parts of the Caribbean during the middle of the week, causing concern about flash floods and landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

"The greatest threat from the impacts of the floods will be in the eastern and southeastern parts of Puerto Rico," the NHC said.

The Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are expected to see 5 to 10 centimeters of rain with isolated amounts of up to 15 centimeters.

The Dominican Republic could also record 7 to 15 centimeters.

Smaller totals of 2 to 7 inches are forecast for the Windward Islands.

Dangerous waves and rip currents are also impacting the Caribbean and will continue within the alert and surveillance areas.

Tropical storm force winds and heavy rains threaten a wider region in Hispaniola, the Bahamas and Cuba in the latter part of the week as the storm travels through the northern Caribbean.

As the system approaches and potentially moves over Cuba, ground interaction could potentially weaken the storm significantly.

There is still uncertainty in the trajectory of the disturbance, but some models show the storm tracking over the island, which would inhibit strengthening.

If the potential cyclone follows a path further north into open water, there is still the possibility of further strengthening, but the forecast is still uncertain in the formative stages of the storm.

"Over the next few days, the storm will be affected by Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and it probably won't get much stronger, but after that there will be enough hot water for it to get stronger," said CNN meteorologist Chad Meyers.

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