Hurricane Florence. By elRoce @ Shutterstock.com
Tropical Storm Franklin is headed toward the Gulf of Mexico and could hit Texas after potentially barreling through Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Warnings have been issued for Franklin, and meteorologists are keeping an eye on other tropical weather systems forming behind it.
As of 8 p.m. Eastern time Monday, Tropical Storm Franklin was located about 290 miles south of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained winds at 50 mph and tropical-storm-force winds up to 70 miles from its center. Though it was nearly stationary, the storm is expected to turn north Tuesday with its center reaching the southern coast of Haiti and the Dominican Republic by early Wednesday.
Franklin likely will hit Haiti and the Dominican Republic as a tropical storm, but could become a hurricane Saturday after it moves northeast past the island and out to sea, according to hurricane center estimates. Its eventual path at the end of the week remains uncertain.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for the southern coasts of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with expected storm surge of 1 to 3 feet. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the north coast of the Dominican Republic and areas of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The system could bring up to 15 inches of rain to Haiti and the Dominican Republic and up to 6 inches to Puerto Rico, according to the latest estimates. The hurricane center warned of potential flash and urban flooding.
Tropical Depression Gert
Gert formed early Monday, hours after two other tropical storms — Franklin and Emily formed Sunday.
As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, Gert had weakened from a tropical storm to a tropical depression, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 30 mph. The system was moving west at 7 mph and was located about 375 miles east-southeast of the Caribbean.
Forecasters expect Gert to stumble in the face of a dry environment and strong upper levels winds, weakening to a remnant by Tuesday. The system will also likely turn north, away from the Caribbean.
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