Franklin Becomes First Major Hurricane of the Season

At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the center of Hurricane Franklin was located near latitude 28.1 North, longitude 71.1 West. Franklin is moving toward the north near 9 mph (15 km/h). This northward to north-northeastward motion with a slightly faster forward speed is expected during the next few days. On the forecast track, the center…

STEPS

August 28, 2023

1–2 minutes

At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the center of Hurricane Franklin was located near latitude 28.1 North, longitude 71.1 West.

Franklin is moving toward the north near 9 mph (15 km/h). This northward to north-northeastward motion with a slightly faster forward speed is expected during the next few days.

On the forecast track, the center of Franklin is expected to pass well to the west of Bermuda on Wednesday. Maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph (230 km/h) with higher gusts.

Franklin is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Additional strengthening is possible today, but gradual weakening is expected to begin later Tuesday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles (240 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 937 mb (27.67 inches