Tropical Storm Franklin is strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico and may hit Mexico twice this week as it moves toward land.
Accuweather expects that Franklin could reach hurricane strength with sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour before passing over the Yucatan Peninsula late Monday and early Tuesday. The storm is also expected to affect several Central American nations including Honduras, Nicaragua, and Belize. After it passes by Mexico, it may also affect northern Guatemala, Accuweather reported.
Some higher elevations may see mudslides triggered by the storm, which will bring 4 to 8 inches of rain to some locations along its track, Accuweather reported. The storm is expected to clear the Yucatan Peninsula by Tuesday evening, but will head toward mainland Mexico between Tampico and Veracruz, making landfall on Thursday morning.
A storm surge is possible as it makes landfall, and residents of the affected areas were warned to make preparations in advance of the storm to protect themselves from its effects, USA Today reported.
The U.S. is not expected to see damage from this system other than parts of the Texas Gulf Coast seeing high surf and dangerous rip currents later in the week, The Weather Channel reported.
Franklin would be the first named storm to reach hurricane strength during the 2017 season, USA Today reported. Another system in the central Atlantic has about a 20 percent chance of becoming a named storm and could impact the eastern Caribbean later this week.
Twitter users urged residents to get ready.
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