Hurricane Franklin is forecast to become the Atlantic’s first major hurricane of the season on Monday and is on track to pass close to Bermuda on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Sunday.
At around 11 p.m. Eastern time (0300 GMT), Franklin was about 530 miles (855 km) southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds nearing 105 mph (165 kph), the Miami-based center said in an advisory.
“Additional strengthening is forecast, and Franklin is forecast to become a major hurricane on Monday,” the advisory said.
A tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of above 110 mph (177 kph) or higher is considered a major hurricane.
Franklin is expected turn away from the U.S. eastern seaboard in the early part of the week but pass near the island of Bermuda on Wednesday, an NHC map shows.
The NHC said swells generated by Franklin were beginning to affect Bermuda on Sunday night.
“These swells are expected to spread toward the east coast of the United States during the next couple of days, likely resulting in life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” it said in the advisory.
This year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, is expected to have 18 named tropical storms, nine of which become hurricanes, four of them major, according to forecasters from Colorado State University.
Tropical Storm Idalia forecast to hit Florida as hurricane
Tropical Storm Idalia could strengthen into a hurricane on Monday, bringing high winds and storm surges to Cuba and Florida later this week.
The storm has sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) and could reach Category 2 strength with sustained winds of 96 to 110 mph when it is forecast to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday, according to Governor Ron DeSantis.
The governor said the hurricane could make landfall in northern Florida’s Big Bend area – where the panhandle transitions into the peninsula.
NHC said on Sunday that the storm is currently near the Yucatan Channel about 145 miles (235 km) south of the western tip of Cuba.
Idalia could cause scattered flash and urban flooding from heavy rains along parts of Florida’s west coast, the Panhandle and southern Georgia late Tuesday night through Wednesday, the Miami-based weather forecaster said.
“Idalia is likely to be near or at major hurricane intensity when it reaches the Gulf coast of Florida,” the NHC added.
DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 33 Florida counties on Saturday.
“If you are in the path of this storm, you should expect power outages, so please prepare for that,” DeSantis said during a Sunday briefing with Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.
The governor said power company workers were preparing ahead of the storm and that 1,100 members of the National Guard were mobilized with 2,400 high-water vehicles and a dozen aircraft for rescue and recovery efforts.
Duke Energy is closely monitoring the approach of Idalia and preparing crews and equipment to respond if customers lose power.
President Joe Biden had been briefed about Idalia’s forecast path and will be kept up to date as the storm moves, the White House said on Sunday.
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