As Hurricane Idalia moves inward, another storm brews off East Coast

As Hurricane Idalia passed through Florida on its way to Georgia on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Americans about another storm looming in the Atlantic. 

“Though many eyes remain on the dangers #Idalia is bringing to the southeast, distant storm Hurricane #Franklin continues to stir up the western Atlantic, creating potentially deadly surf and rip currents along the US East Coast,” the NHC posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. 

Franklin, currently a Category 2 storm, isn’t currently projected to hit the U.S. However, in a public advisory Wednesday, the NHC warned of “dangerous surf and rip currents” adjacent to “the Eastern Seaboard.”

“Life-threatening surf and rip currents generated by Franklin are affecting Bermuda and the east coast of the United States,” the NHC said in the advisory. “These conditions are expected to continue during the next couple of days.”

Idalia made landfall in Florida Wednesday morning at 7:45 A.M. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said at an early afternoon press conference on the same day that the storm has left nearly 300,000 people without power.

President Biden, in remarks on Wednesday about the government’s response to Idalia and the recent wildfires in Maui, noted a connection between climate change and recent natural disasters. 

“I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore,” Biden said. “Just look around. Historic floods, more intense droughts, extreme heat, significant wildfires that cause significant damage like we’ve never seen before.”

Updated at 3:40 pm.