A number of tropical storms were developing back and forth in the middle of August, giving rise to a significant increase in tropical activity. The activity is not going away any time soon. There's a tropical storm in the Atlantic basin right now, with three areas of interest we're watching. On Wednesday, Tropical Storm Franklin passed through the Dominican Republic, bringing mudslides and fatal flooding to Hispaniola.  The storm's moving northeast, east of the Turks and Caicos on Thursday. By the end of their jog to the northeast, Franklin turned northwest as it continued to strengthen and was likely to be a hurricane on Saturday. The storm heads north, likely passing, just west of Bermuda and east of the United State. The cold front that swept across the east of the US is acting as a shield to keep out the storm.  And a disturbance along the Pacific coast of Central America is something to keep an eye on in parts of the United States. It crosses over into the Caribbean Sea by this weekend and then heads north toward the Gulf of Mexico. Early next week, as it slowly moves toward the Gulf of Mexico, a tropicor depression or storm could develop. This system will then pass over the Gulf of Mexico into Florida later next week, with some models showing it approaching the Carolinas coast. More about Weather