The tropical storm Franklin chugged toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti's joint island of Hispaniola early Wednesday, raising worries of devastating landslides and major flooding in both countries.

Forecasters warned that Franklin could bring downpours of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, with a maximum of 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated spots, during the majority of Wednesday.

According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm's core was about 120 miles (190 kilometers) southwest of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, early on Wednesday morning. It was heading toward the north at 10 mph (17 kph), with maximum winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and higher gusts.

As officials checked on some of the more than 200,000 individuals, some of whom were living on the streets or in improvised shelters, Prime Minister Ariel Henry advised Haitians on Tuesday to stock up on water, food and medicine.

In the Dominican Republic, officials closed schools, government offices and a few airports. More than 830,000 consumers were impacted when more than 40 aqueducts were out of commission early on Wednesday due to heavy rains.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, has produced seven named storms. Franklin is the seventh.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revised its prediction on August 10 and issued a notice that the storm season this year will be above average. There are predicted to be 14 to 21 named storms. Six to eleven of them could develop into hurricanes, with two to five of them having a chance to become significant storms.

(With input from AP)

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