Tropical depression Fred, which is currently heading towards Cuba and the Bahamas, is forecast to hit the United States by Saturday. Fred is expected to turn into a tropical storm before it hits South Florida.

The main threat to the US appeared to be heavy rains affecting Florida and parts of the Southeast starting on Friday, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

A tropical storm watch was issued on Thursday evening in Florida Keys and across the state’s southwest coast. Forecasters have predicted heavy rains till Monday. The hurricane centre was predicted 7.5 to 15 centimeters across Florida Keys. The southern peninsula of Florida is also likely to witness heavy rains.

The tropical storm watch is in effect for the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas, and for the southwest coast of the Florida Peninsula from Bonita Beach to Ocean Reef, forecasters said.

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Once a tropical storm, Fred weakened back to a depression by its spin over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power to some 400,000 customers and caused flooding that forced officials to shut down part of the country’s aqueduct system, interrupting water service for hundreds of thousands of people.

Local officials reported hundreds of people were evacuated and some buildings were damaged. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Heavy rains on Thursday continued to pound Hispaniola, which the two nations share.

The Miami-based US hurricane center said the system had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) Thursday evening as it slowed in forward movement north of Cuba’s eastern tip.

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On Thursday evening, the system was about 485 miles (780 kilometers) east-southeast of Key West, Florida. That was also about 240 miles (385 kilometers) southeast of Southern Andros Island in the Bahamas.

Fred was headed west-northwest at 7 mph (11 kph) on a track expected to take it just north of eastern and central Cuba during the night and on Friday. The hurricane center said Fred would begin to slowly strengthen on Friday and be near the Florida Keys and South Florida on Saturday.

(with AP inputs)