7 News Belize

Met Office Says Franklin, Fast And Furious
posted (August 7, 2017)
But how serious is the storm? That's what we went to find out from from the National Met Services in Ladyville. Here's our conversation with Chief Meteorologist Catherine Cumberbatch who discussed the storm's history and the forecast:

Catherine Cumberbatch - Chief Meteorologist
"From last week Thursday, a tropical wave came into the Southeast Caribbean, and we have been monitoring that system from last week. We have been informing and giving NEMO updates on the regular basis. Last night, the system, from a strong tropical wave, to an area of low pressure, went straight to a tropical storm. It didn't become a tropical depression. It jumped windspeed increases, and it went directly to a tropical storm. It became the sixth name storm for the season, which is Tropical Storm Franklin."

"At midday, the center of Tropical Storm Franklin was located at latitude 18.0 degrees north, and longitude 85.4 west. Or, that puts it about 185 miles east of Belize City, and a 151 miles east by north of Halfmoon Caye. Franklin is traveling in a West Northwest direction at 13 miles per hour, with a maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour."

"All guidance and indications are giving us that there is a very probability that Franklin could become a hurricane before it makes landfall somewhere along the Yucatan Peninsula in the Mexico area. Just north of the Mexico/Belize Border, it is expected to make landfall. So, we are expecting that it should intensify a little bit to a very strong tropical storm, or a minimal hurricane - it could become before making landfall sometime later tonight into early tomorrow morning."

"We are being affected from the spiral bands of that system. Belize City, some parts of Orange Walk, even the South, are presently being affected by the spiral band of Tropical Storm Franklin. And we continue to expect that, as Franklin continues its track a west northwestward direction. We are expecting that the entire country, especially along the coastal areas will be spiral bands, and prior to making land fall, the bulk of the rainfall we are expecting it to be up north of the country."

"We expect that the area that will be experiencing sustained tropical storm winds will be the northern parts of the country, Corozal and the northern Caye, Sand Pedro. However, the rest of the country can experience gusty conditions, but not sustained. They could get up to tropical storm force winds, but not sustained."

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize