MIAMI, CMC – The Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) is predicting occasional gale-force gusts to pummel exposed elevations of the island on Tuesday as Hurricane Franklin, a formidable category four hurricane is expected to pass well to the northwest of the country on Wednesday.

September and October are especially critical months in the annual Atlantic Hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, and Bermuda’s national security minister Michael Weeks noted that the season is approaching its height.

In its latest bulletin at 5:00 am, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the hurricane is about 385 miles west-southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (mph).

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Bermuda and the NHC said that it means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.

According to the NHC, the centre of Hurricane Franklin was located near latitude 30.2 North, longitude 70.8 West and is moving towards the north-northeast near nine mph.

“A north-northeastward to northeastward motion with a faster forward speed is expected during the next few days. On the forecast track, the centre of Franklin is expected to pass well to the northwest of Bermuda on Wednesday.”

It said maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 140 mph with higher gusts, “However, Franklin is still a formidable category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Steady weakening is forecast during the next several days.”

The NHC said that life-threatening surf and rip currents generated by Franklin are already affecting Bermuda and the coast of the southeast United States.

“These conditions are expected to spread northward along the east coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada later today into Wednesday,” The NHC said.