Hurricane Franklin is getting stronger and is now forecast by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida to become a major hurricane early this coming week.

As of the last update from the NHC, Franklin was located about 610 miles south-southwest of Bermuda and about 280 miles northeast of Grand Turk Island. With maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, the storm was moving north-northwest at 8 mph while having a minimum central pressure of 982 mb or 29.00″.

According to the NHC, Franklin is expected to continue heading into the North Atlantic, picking up intensity as it does so. A  north-northwestward to northward motion is expected over the western Atlantic through early next week. While maximum sustained winds have increased to near 85 mph with higher gusts now, the NHC expects further strengthening and Franklin could become a major hurricane early this coming week.

With high pressure nosing in from the Great Lakes and a new system, Tropical Depression #10 taking shape over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Franklin should avoid making direct contact with the U.S. East Coast. It should also travel west enough not to impact Bermuda directly either. However, rough surf and swells, along with related rip current dangers, are expected up and down the entire east coast, Bermuda, and the Bahamas.