(CNN) — Hurricane Franklin strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane this Monday morning in the open Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h. This makes Franklin the first major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.
Hurricane Franklin is currently 650 kilometers north of the Turks and Caicos Islands and 800 kilometers southwest of Bermuda.
Hurricane Franklin’s forecast track takes the storm between the East Coast of the United States and Bermuda before turning east and passing north of Bermuda.
No watches or warnings are in effect for the storm, although both Bermuda and the US East Coast will see heavy seas from the storm, which could result in life-threatening surf and rip currents for the next few days.
We expect Tropical Storm Italia to quickly strengthen into a second major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico over the next day or two. The second major hurricane in the Atlantic basin does not form until September 19, on average.