TROPICAL Storm Fred is weakening far out in the Atlantic Ocean and is forecast to become a tropical depression on Wednesday and degenerate to a remnant low on Thursday.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds were reported by the US National Hurricane Centre as near 45mph after it downgraded Fred - the easternmost hurricane known to have formed in the Atlantic tropics - to a tropical storm on Tuesday.
Fred was centred about 470 miles northwest of the Cape Verde Islands on Wednesday morning and was moving west-north-west near 10mph.
Authorities in Cape Verde said the first hurricane to pass over the West African islands caused flooding, uprooted trees and tore off some roofs but caused no major damage or injuries.
Arlindo Lima, head of the country’s Civil Protection Service, told Portuguese radio RDP-Africa on Tuesday that Hurricane Fred lashed the former Portuguese colony with high winds, knocking out power in some areas of the 10-island archipelago, while heavy rain forced the closure of some roads. Authorities closed ports and airports as Fred approached on Monday.
Cape Verde, about 350 miles off West Africa’s coast, has a population of around 512,000.
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