The National Hurricane Center upgraded Tropical Storm Franklin, located in the Atlantic Ocean, to a hurricane on Saturday as Florida officials kept a close eye on a new tropical system called Invest 93L.
The latter storm is gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico with the NHC predicting it will become a tropical depression in the next few days.
The NHC said Franklin was upgraded to a hurricane after Air Force and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Hunters tracking the system “found that the surface pressure has dropped to 989 mb and SFMR winds were around 60 to 65 kt from both aircraft.
“Given the data from the aircraft reconnaissance, Franklin has been upgraded to a hurricane,” the second of the 2023 Atlantic season.
The NHC says Franklin is moving in a north-northwestward direction and is expected to reach Bermuda by Wednesday, becoming a “major hurricane” by next week.
Its projected path is expected to curve along the East Coast, remaining hundreds of miles away from the U.S. shore.
“Franklin is expected to steadily strengthen during the next few days with lower vertical wind shear, and warm sea surface temperatures in the western Atlantic.
Franklin is forecast to become a major hurricane early next week,” the NHC said.
The agency has also warned that tropical system Invest 93L has a 70% chance of turning into a tropical storm in the next 48 hours and a 90% chance of developing into a tropical storm.
It was located over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Saturday morning.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has warned residents of the state’s Gulf Coast to prepare for potentially harsh weather conditions.
“I’ve directed Kevin Guthrie and the Florida Emergency Management team to prepare for a potential tropical system currently moving across the Yucatan Peninsula.
Residents should remain vigilant and prepare for possible impacts early next week,” DeSantis posted on X on Thursday.
