Tropical Storm Franklin formed Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean and was forecast to hit Hispaniola on Tuesday. Image courtesy of NOAA
Aug. 21 (UPI) — Tropical Storm Franklin, the second storm to be christened Sunday, is on track to reach Hispaniola on Tuesday, forecasters said.
Franklin formed Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean, and forecasters located it at 2 a.m. AST about 250 miles south-southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with sustained winds of 50 mph.
It was moving west at 12 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its early Monday update, that warned Frankly is to cause heavy rains over portions of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
“The center of Franklin is forecast to reach the southern coast of Hispaniola late Tuesday or Tuesday night,” it said.
It is expected to produce between 2 and 4 inches of rainfall across Puerto Rico with isolated areas of up to 6 inches through the middle of the week, while dropping between 4 and 8 inches across Hispaniola, with up to 12 inches possible in isolation.
A Tropical Storm Warning — meaning tropical storm conditions are expected to be felt with in 36 hours — has been issued for the entire south coast of the Dominican Republic from the Haiti border eastward to Isla Saona.
The entire south coast of Haiti from d’Hainault eastward to the Dominican Republic border was also under a Tropical Storm Warning warning.
Meanwhile a Tropical Storm Watch, which signifies tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours, has been called for the entire north and east coast of the Dominican Republic.
Tropical Storm Emily, which was weakening early Monday about 1,105 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, had also reached christening levels of strength on Sunday, though it is not expected to pose a threat to land.