Franklin very powerful Category 4 hurricane -U.S. NHC

[August 29, 2023]  (Reuters) -Franklin is a very powerful category 4 hurricane that is causing life-threatening surf and rip currents along the coast of the southeast United States, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory on Monday.

Franklin was located about 440 miles (710 km) west-southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds nearing 150 mph (240 kph), the Miami-based center said.

"Some additional strengthening is possible tonight, but gradual weakening is expected to begin late Tuesday," the NHC added.

(Reporting by Brijesh Patel and Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; editing by Jason Neely, Susan Fenton and Leslie Adler)

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.