Hurricane Franklin not expected to adversely affect Atlantic Canada

Hurricane Franklin is not expected to adversely affect Atlantic Canada as much as previously anticipated, according to the latest update.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre said Franklin was sitting about 2,200 km south-southwest of Halifax as of Sunday afternoon and was moving in a north-northwest direction.

The Centre says the storm has continued to strengthen over the last 24 hours and is expected to become a major hurricane Sunday night or Monday.

However, meteorologists say current modelling indicates Franklin will continue to turn northeast and “remain well south of not only the Maritimes but now Newfoundland and Labrador as well.”

“Some ocean waves generated by the storm are likely to reach the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia on Wednesday and then Newfoundland and Labrador by Thursday,” the Centre said in an update on Sunday. “Given the current forecast track, any winds from Franklin will remain well offshore.”

Forecasters add a separate system will bring “significant rainfall” over parts of Atlantic Canada near mid-week but this system is not directly related to Franklin.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Idalia formed Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico on a potential track to come ashore as a hurricane in the southern U.S., the National Hurricane Center said.

Forecasters said they expected Idalia to become a hurricane on Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico and then curve northeast toward the west coast of Florida. Initial forecasts indicated that Idalia could approach land on Wednesday as a Category 1 hurricane.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through Nov. 30, with August and September typically the peak.

Files from The Associated Press were used in this report