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- Hurricane Franklin is strengthening in the Bermuda Triangle and is expected to become a major hurricane on Monday.
- In the coming week it will remain far off the east coast.
- However, it will create swells that create strong surf and currents along the east coast.
- Franklin could also be tracking near Bermuda.
Hurricane Franklin will continue to strengthen southwest of Bermuda and is expected to become a major hurricane on Monday. It remains well off the US east coast but is expected to create life-threatening high surf and current currents earlier this week.
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The latest on Franklin: Located in the Bermuda Triangle far north of Puerto Rico, it is growing in strength. It is expected to develop into a major hurricane, trending north-northwest and then turning northeast.
Franklin became the second hurricane of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season Saturday morning. According to the National Hurricane Center, that’s exactly the average date of the second hurricane of the season.
Bermuda threat ahead? Franklin was moving erratically on Friday but has begun its march north. After moving slowly for a period, faster jet stream winds should curl up and accelerate Franklin to the northeast, keeping the hurricane off the US East Coast.
But depending on how sharp that right turn is, it could take Franklin near Bermuda Tuesday night or Wednesday, potentially as at least a Category 2 hurricane.
High surf is expected in Bermuda at the moment, but moving closer could result in stronger winds, heavy rain and some coastal flooding in parts of the archipelago.
Interested parties in Bermuda should watch carefully for changes to this forecast and have their preparedness plans ready in case this narrower trend continues.
(MORE: Interactive storm tracker)
(The red shaded area shows the potential trajectory of the tropical cyclone center. It is important to note that the impacts (particularly heavy rain, high surf, coastal flooding, winds) of any tropical cyclone usually extend beyond the projected trajectory spread.)
Franklin is expected to cause high surf on the US east coast: While Franklin will stay well clear of the U.S., it will send heavy surf to the east coast, particularly from North Carolina to New England, late Sunday through early this week. This could create dangerous beach conditions in some areas, including currents.
Details on the extent and timing of this threat are still somewhat uncertain. So keep checking back for updates and be aware of this potential hazard when you take a late summer trip to the beach next week.
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(The contours over the ocean show the waves created by Franklin as he moves through the western Atlantic.)
Chris Dolce has been the senior weather forecaster at Weather.com for over 10 years, having started his career at The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science in our lives. This story does not necessarily reflect the position of our parent company, IBM.