A Tropical Storm Watch remains in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
A Tropical Storm Watch means that Tropical Storm conditions could be experienced within the Turks and Caicos Islands within 48 hours.
At 8 pm EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Franklin was located near latitude 14.3 degrees north and longitude 70.1 degrees west, or about 290 miles south of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 500 miles south-southeast of Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks, and Caicos Islands, 515 miles south-southeast of Matthew Town, Inagua and 870 miles Southeast of New Providence.
Tropical Storm Franklin has been meandering in the eastern Caribbean tonight, becoming nearly stationary. Franklin should turn northward on Tuesday with this general motion continuing into Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Franklin is forecast to reach the southern coast of Hispaniola by early on Wednesday. Due to the slowing down of Franklin today, the center is now forecast to pass to the east of the Turks and Caicos Islands late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 50 miles per hour with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast before Franklin reaches Hispaniola.
Tropical Storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center.
Residents in the Turks and Caicos Islands should begin to make preparation for the possibility of Tropical Storm conditions beginning on Wednesday night. Residents in the Southeast Bahamas should closely monitor Alerts issued by the Bahamas Department of Meteorology and be ready to make preparation for possible Tropical Storm conditions in the next few days.
Franklin is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches, with isolated higher amounts of 4 inches over the most easterly islands.
The next Alert on Tropical Storm Franklin will be issued at 12 am EDT Tuesday.
