Tropical Storms Emily and Franklin have formed this afternoon across the Atlantic basin.
Emily will be a fish storm and a rather forgettable one. It is expected to turn north and weaken over the next five days.
Franklin will remain a tropical storm as it slowly works westward in the near term. It will move over the mountainous areas of Hispaniola during its journey, so this should disrupt the storm somewhat. It does appear, however, it could become a hurricane once moving north of the Greater Antilles once it finds more favorable conditions for strengthening. It's amazing to see this hard of a turn north out of the Caribbean in August by a tropical system. The projected track of Franklin is more indicative of a path an October or November storm may take. This is a testament to the strength of the high pressure protecting the United States.
Neither of these storms poses a threat to the Gulf Coast.
