By Crystal Stevenson

The forecast track for Tropical Depression Grace has shifted significantly south of Sunday’s forecast — meaning if it stays the course, there is no expected impacts to Southwest Louisiana.

“It’s some great, wonderful, fantastic news — which I don’t get to share too often,” Donald Jones, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Lake Charles office, said. “The track for Tropical Depression Grace has shifted to the south so we will live to fight another day.”

Jones said his office will continue to watch Grace’s track as it moves to the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico during the course of the week “but, for now, Southwest Louisiana is in a much better position.”

He said Grace moved over Hispaniola Monday evening as the regenerated Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in the Florida panhandle.

Fred intensified overnight but had not reached hurricane status as it approached Florida. That tropical storm was expected to bring 6-10 inches of rain around the parts of the panhandle and 4-10 inches was expected up the Appalachians.

Grace has shifted several hundred miles south with the system expected to reach the lower part of Mexico about 8 a.m. on Saturday.

“It is bringing quite a bit of rainfall to the Dominican Republican as it regroups around Cuba and then heads into the Gulf,” Jones said. “We are not looking at any impacts here based on this forecast track.”

He said another round of scattered showers are expected in Southwest Louisiana today and temperatures will be in the low 90s.