Franklin Briefly Becomes Atlantic Basin’s 1st Hurricane; Weakens to Tropical Storm

Tropical Storm Franklin made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in eastern Mexico during Wednesday night with estimated maximum winds of 85 mph, according to a report issued by Weather Underground.

Over the Bay of Campeche, the storm became the Atlantic Basin’s first hurricane of 2017, making landfall around midnight on Thursday, central daylight time. Despite weakening rapidly, the report said, the storm will pose a dangerous flood threat for some inland locations into Friday.

Franklin has now weakened to a tropical storm and will continue to move inland, roughly between Veracruz and Mexico City, said Weather Underground.

A storm surge of 4-6 feet was expected around the time of landfall near and north of the center along the eastern Mexican Bay of Campeche coast, said the report, noting that those elevated water levels should subside quickly Thursday morning.

The most serious threat could come from rainfall flooding, added the report. “Up to 15 inches of rain may fall in eastern Mexico through Thursday associated with Franklin’s final move inland. Flash flooding and mudslides are likely to be major concerns as Franklin grinds across this region’s mountainous terrain,” it said.

Although Franklin’s circulation was expected to fall apart over Mexico, the report said, the storm could bring an additional 3-9 inches of rainfall in southwestern Mexico as it heads to the Pacific Ocean.

[Editor’s Note: Weather Underground’s report, published on Aug. 10, was compiled by Chris Dolce.]

Source: Weather Underground

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• Tropical Storm Franklin May Become Atlantic Basin’s 1st Hurricane of 2017

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Hurricane Mexico