Hurricane Franklin to absorb storm Jose while Gert reappears as tropical depression
Miami, Sep 1 (EFE).- Hurricane Franklin continued to weaken Friday as it moved across the northern Atlantic and is expected to absorb the compact tropical storm Jose. At the same time, Gert, which had dissipated more than a week ago, has “regenerated” into a tropical depression, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.
Franklin made landfall in the Dominican Republic a week ago and on Friday had sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour and was expected to continue to weaken over the next few days.
This category 1 hurricane, which could become an extratropical cyclone tonight, is moving on an east-northeast path at 30 kilometers per hour and poses no threat to coastal areas, according to the NHC.
Franklin will accelerate its speed in the coming days and possibly absorb Jose, a tropical storm formed on Thursday and on Friday was about 1,205 km east-northeast of Bermuda and moving north at 30 km/h.
Jose has also not warranted warnings in coastal areas, carries sustained winds of 95 km/h and is expected to weaken before merging with Franklin on Saturday.
The remnants of Gert, a short-lived storm that had formed on August 19, reappeared as a tropical depression with a chance of strengthening to tropical storm status in the Atlantic basin.
Gert, the sixth storm of the season, has sustained winds of 55 km/h and is located 1,020 km east-southeast of Bermuda. It poses no risk to populated areas.
Meanwhile, Idalia on Thursday became a post-tropical cyclone. Still, NHC forecasters predicted it will regain strength and become a cyclone between Friday and Saturday, impacting Bermuda over the weekend.
Idalia, which touched land as a major hurricane over northwest Florida and crossed the southeastern US on Wednesday, is moving east-southeast with sustained winds of 95 km/h and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward from its center some 370 km.
Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas continue to remove debris and fallen trees Friday after Idalia made landfall on the western tip of Cuba and landed as a Category 3 hurricane in the region known as “Big Bend,” a rural area on Florida’s northwest coast.
Idalia, the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend in more than 125 years, prompted US President Joe Biden to issue a “major disaster” declaration for Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee, and Taylor counties. This move authorizes the distribution of more resources to support recovery efforts. EFE
lce/ar/ics
