Tropical Storm Franklin forms in Caribbean, heads for Mexico

Tropical Storm Franklin has formed in the Caribbean Sea about 100 miles off the coast of Honduras and headed for Mexico, according to an advisory issued Sunday night (Aug. 6) by the National Hurricane Center. Franklin is the sixth named storm of the 2017 hurricane season.

Heavy rains are expected as Franklin moves northwest across the Yucatan Peninsula Monday night and into Tuesday. As of 10 p.m. Sunday night, Franklin was steering north of Honduras and headed northwest around 13 mph toward the Yucatan, blowing maximum sustained winds near 40 mph.

Forecasters expect Franklin to strengthen into Monday just before reaching the Yucatan’s eastern coast and head west-northwestward across the peninsula, continuing to strengthen while crossing the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico. From there, Franklin is expected to make landfall on mainland Mexico, where the tropical storm could strengthen into a hurricane.

The forecast cone shows the probable track of Tropical Storm Franklin over the next four days. (NOAA)
 

So far, the hurricane center has placed stretches of the coast of Mexico under tropical storm warnings and watches, signifying tropical storm conditions are expected to reach those areas within 24 hours. A warning is in effect for the coast of Mexico from Chetumal to Campeche, and watches are in effect for Belize City north to the Mexico border as well as the coast of Mexico from Campeche to Sabancuy.

Rainfall ranging from 3 to 6 inches is anticipated in these areas, with isolated amounts around 12 inches possible. The hurricane center advises such rains could produce life-threatening flash floods.

Meanwhile, forecasters are also watching another low-pressure area in the Atlantic Ocean, currently located midway between the coasts of Africa and South America. Tracking northwest across the Atlantic and moving around 15 mph Sunday afternoon, that system has a 30 percent chance of developing into a tropical storm or depression over the next five days.

Tropical Storm Franklin and other activity currently in the Atlantic figure in a hurricane season that hurricane center forecasters have projected to be above normal this year, brewing up anywhere between 11 and 17 named storms. So far, only Tropical Storm Cindy has touched the Gulf states, bringing region-drenching rains in late June.

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