Franklin becomes 1st Atlantic hurricane as it aims at Mexico
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MEXICO CITY — Franklin strengthened into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season Wednesday as it neared Mexico’s central Gulf coast, heading for an overnight landfall that would be its second on Mexican territory in three days.
As a tropical storm, Franklin made a relatively mild run across the Yucatan Peninsula on Monday night and Tuesday, but on Wednesday its winds were gathering force as it prepared to pound a mountainous region prone to flash floods and mudslides with heavy rains.
Authorities in Veracruz state ordered Thursday’s classes cancelled at public schools as a precautionary measure. Schools are frequently used as storm shelters in Mexico.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Franklin had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) late Wednesday afternoon. The storm was expected to gain power as it moved across the southern Gulf of Mexico.
