UPDATE: The Hurricane Watch Net secured operations "due to extremely poor propagation and a severe lack of reporting stations." The net was activated on August 9 at 1700 UTC on 14.325 MHz. We will monitor 14.325.00 MHz beginning at 8:00 AM EDT – 1200 UTC for any post storm reports. As always, our sincere thanks to the daily users of 14.325.00 MHz and 7.268.00 MHz for the use of these frequencies. — HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) will activate at 1700 UTC today in anticipation that Tropical Cyclone Franklin — which the National Hurricane Center is calling “almost a hurricane” — will make landfall between Tampico and Veracruz, Mexico, sometime early on August 10.

“We will open the net using our primary frequency of 14.325 MHz and then move to 7.268 this evening when the 20-meter band begins to close,” said HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. “If propagation dictates, we will operate on both frequencies at the same time.” Graves noted that the HWN has a number of fully bi-lingual operators to assist.

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, as of mid-day, Franklin was approximately 165 miles east-northeast of Veracruz, with maximum sustained winds of 70 MPH. The storm is moving west at 13 MPH.

The HWN typically activates whenever a hurricane is within 300 miles of landfall. “As with any net activation, we will be requesting observed ground-truth data from those in the affected area,” Grave said, pointing out that measured weather data is preferred but estimates are acceptable too.

The NHC said the Mexican government has discontinued a tropical storm warning east of Puerto Dos Bocas. A hurricane warning is in effect for the coast of Mexico, from Puerto de Veracruz to Cabo Rojo. A hurricane watch is in effect for the coast of Mexico north of Cabo Rojo to Rio Panuco.