> Franklin = 1st Major Hurricane of ‘23 <
From left to right…
* Orange:
At 5pm, Tropical Storm Idalia was centered at 21.4°N 85.1°W (+/- 1450mi WNW of SSS Islands) -- between the tip of Mexico & Cuba.
...Although Idalia will not affect the Eastern Caribbean, it is currently near hurricane-strength (winds @ 70mph) and is projected to become a Major Hurricane (Cat 3+) before it reaches the southeastern USA (Florida, Georgia, etc.) by late Tue/early Wed.
…This is our last mention of Idalia, until/unless major changes occur.
* White:
Franklin became the season’s 1st Major Hurricane at a category-3 (winds @ 115mph) at 5am today, then by 7:35am was upgraded to Cat-4 (winds @ 130mph & 145mph @9am).
…At 5pm winds remained @145mph, while Franklin was centered at 28.5°N 71.0°W (+/- 875mi NNW of SSS Islands) -- southwest of Bermuda.
…Franklin no longer poses a threat to the Caribbean, and could possibly strengthen further tonight before gradual weakening by late Tue.
…This is our last mention of Franklin, until/unless major changes occur.
* Blue:
A nearby tropical wave -- centered along 52°W -- currently has no chance of developing, but will likely bring a few showers late Tue into early Wed to the SSS Islands.
…The bulk of these showers would likely remain mostly over the southeastern Caribbean.
We will continue to monitor its progress.
* Yellow:
A weak, mid-Atlantic tropical wave -- centered along 35°W -- also currently has no chance of developing, but may bring a few showers to the Eastern Caribbean (including SSS Islands) by weekend.
We will continue to monitor its progress.
* Red:
A tropical wave, which is about to emerge off the coast of Africa by tomorrow -- has a low (0%) to medium (50%) chance of developing within the next 2-7 days.
...It is way too early to determine the intensity, path, or effects of this system -- if any.
We will continue to monitor its progress.
⚠ we are in the PEAK of the Season...
#RemainAlert #StayPrepared
Keep checking back for updates
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2023 Hurricane Season:
>> So far: 10 trop. storms, 2 hurr’s, 1 major
>> Expected: 13-18 tropical storms, 6-8 hurricanes (3-4 major)
* Normal Season: 14 TS, 7 H (3 MH) --> 2023 = near- to sl. above-average!
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Reminder:
* St. Maarten = 18.0°N, 63.1°W
* Saba = 17.6°N, 63.2°W
* St. Eustatius = 17.5°N, 63.0°W