Franklin Becomes the Second Hurricane of the Season

National Hurricane Center (NHC) – At 1100 PM AST (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Franklin was located near latitude 23.9 North, longitude 68.2 West. Franklin is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph (13 km/h). A turn toward the north-northwest is expected on Sunday, followed by a northward motion into early next week. Data…

STEPS

August 26, 2023

1–2 minutes

National Hurricane Center (NHC) – At 1100 PM AST (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Franklin was located near latitude 23.9 North, longitude 68.2 West.

Franklin is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph (13 km/h). A turn toward the north-northwest is expected on Sunday, followed by a northward motion into early next week.

Data from the Air Force and NOAA Hurricane Hunters indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph (140 km/h) with higher gusts.

Significant strengthening is expected during the next couple of days, and Franklin is forecast to become a major hurricane by late Sunday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km).

NOAA buoy 41046, located several hundred miles east of the Bahamas, recently reported a sustained wind of 49 mph (79 km/h) and a gust to 58 mph (93 km/h). The estimated minimum central pressure based on dropsonde data is 975 mb (28.80 inches).