Top NewsFranklin quickly intensifies into first major hurricane of season; East coast...

Franklin quickly intensifies into first major hurricane of season; East coast to see dangerous rip currents

Hurricane Franklin continues to strengthen as it moves into the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to rapidly intensify into the season’s first major hurricane in the warm waters between the East Coast and Bermuda.

Forecasters say Franklin will strengthen to a Category 3 hurricane by Monday and pass several hundred miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast.

The FOX Forecast Center says large swells and rip currents are expected along the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts over the Labor Day weekend, but the storm is not forecast to make landfall in the United States.

Hurricane Franklin is being tracked in the active Atlantic among several systems

Where is Hurricane Franklin now?

Hurricane Franklin is located 575 miles south-southwest of Bermuda and moving northwest at 8 mph. Wind gusts as high as 90 mph.

Where is Hurricane Franklin headed?

While Hurricane Franklin is not forecast to make landfall in the U.S., the NHC’s track shows the strengthening storm moving between the East Coast and Bermuda this week.

The storm is expected to move toward the north-northwest late Sunday, followed by a north-northeast move early in the workweek.

On the forecast track, the hurricane is expected to shoot through the gap between Bermuda and the United States

Guide to the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Will America be affected by Franklin?

Although Hurricane Franklin is not expected to make landfall in the U.S., large waves are expected to affect the Eastern Seaboard starting Monday and continuing through the Labor Day weekend, according to the FOX Forecast Center. Additionally, dangerous rip currents are forecast for beaches up and down the East Coast this week.

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“It’s not going to be a landslide for us,” FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “We have a series of troughs off the east coast that will be our protector. You don’t have to worry about it making landfall on the east coast, but we could see some rough surf conditions.”

Average 2023 Atlantic hurricane season expected with 17 named storms, NOAA says

By Wednesday morning, waves could reach 9 to 12 feet along the North Carolina coast, Mervin adds.

“Fortunately, by the time we get to the Labor Day weekend, the strongest waves and the biggest waves will be out of here,” he said. “But if we have this pass very close, and we have some beach erosion before the Labor Day weekend, we could see some minor impacts.”

Beware of the ‘I’ storm: It has more retirees than any letter used for Atlantic hurricane names.

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