CHARLESTON, Dhu-AlQa'dah 16, 1436, Aug 31, 2015, SPA -- Hurricane Fred strengthened early Monday in the eastern Atlantic as it approached the Cape Verde Islands, while the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika brought flooding to parts of South Carolina, according to U.S. forecasters. According to Reuters, the center of Fred is expected to pass near or over the northwestern Cape Verde Islands, an archipelago off the west coast of Africa with a population of 525,000. Fred had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (137 kph), but was expected to gradually dissipate after passing the Cape Verde Islands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Fred was not expected to threaten the Caribbean or the United States. --SPA 20:49 LOCAL TIME 17:49 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w