Franklin Now a Major Hurricane in the Atlantic

A special update was released for Hurricane Franklin at 9 a.m. EST by the National Hurricane Center. The Hurricane Hunters have discovered that the storm has rapidly intensified. it is now a major category 4 hurricane. The central pressure of the storm has dropped to 937 mb. Sustained winds have strengthened to 145 mph with even stronger gusts.

It is the first hurricane to reach major hurricane status in the Atlantic basin this season.

It is located 485 mi southwest of Bermuda. It is moving to the NW at 8mph and will slide to the west of Bermuda by Wednesday morning. Watches will likely be issued for Bermuda later today.

The storm is forecast to strengthen through Monday. But, it will begin to weaken by Tuesday afternoon.

This storm will not pose a direct threat to the US. But, it will bring an increased rip current risk along the east coast this week. The storm is forecast to become a remnant low by this weekend off the coast of Canada.

Tropical Storm Franklin has intensified slightly after moving north of Hispaniola. It will become better organized over the next few days. It is forecast to become a hurricane by Saturday.

The track of the storm is now toward the northeast as a ridge in the Eastern Atlantic guides its motion. Latest model trends have slowed the pace of the storm and have shifted the trajectory slightly to the east. However, a ridge off the Atlantic will guide the storm north and keep it from bringing any direct impacts to the U.S. mainland. Expect an increased rip current risk along the East Coast this weekend into early next week.

Bermuda on the other hand, remains in the cone of uncertainty with the center of the storm sliding just west of the country Monday. At this point, the storm is forecast to have sustained winds of 110 mph — a category 2 strength hurricane. This would mean not only a damaging wind threat for the island nation but also the threat of significant storm surge, flash flooding, and isolated tornadoes.

Franklin would be the 2nd hurricane of the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season. On average, there are 5 named storms by this point in the season with 2 hurricanes by August 26. So far there have been 9 named tropical storms and one unnamed sub-tropical storm this season. The unnamed storm from January was reanalyzed and confirmed as sub-tropical in early July.

Peak hurricane season is September 10. Download the WCCB Weather App for all the latest information on the tropics.

PREVIOUS UPDATE 8/23

Tropical Storm Franklin made landfall south of Barahona, Dominican Republic just before 8am EST Wednesday with sustained winds of 50 mph. The storm has brought flooding rains to Hispaniola as it moves toward the north. It will move off the north coast of the Dominican Republic later Tuesday.

An additional 6-12 inches of rain will be possible for western and central portions of the region. 1-3 inches of rain are projected for Turks and Caicos. Tropical Storm Warnings remain in effect for Hispaniola and Turks and Caicos. Although winds have decreased to 40 mph as  the storm moves over the mountainous terrain of the Dominican Republic, little change in strength is expected through Tuesday evening.

Franklin will continue to battle moderate to strong shear when it moves off the coast of Hispaniola later today. However, the storm will be able to reorganize as it moves into the warmer Atlantic ocean water and a more favorable environment for strengthening by the end of the week. It will likely strengthen into a hurricane as it begins to curve to the west by this weekend. It would be the second hurricane in the Atlantic basin so far this season.

Athough this brings the path of Franklin closer to the east coast, direct land interaction with the U.S. still looks to be unlikely as a strengthening ridge forces the storm north and away from the coast. It will be something that needs to be watched over the next few days as the storm could still produce strong rip currents off the Carolina coast this weekend into early next week.

Keep up with the very latest on TS Franklin and with the tropics by downloading the WCCB Weather App.