Tropical Storm Josephine has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, 975 miles southeast of the northern Leeward Islands, and is expected to intensify over the next two days before weakening, as it passes well north of Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The 10th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Josephine is not expected to hit the Caribbean islands as the mainland of the United States, according to Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the center.
The current trail shows it on Sunday morning across the ocean well northeast of Puerto Rico and then turns north out to sea. The National Water Service said it had not issued tropical warnings like watches for Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands.
“At the moment, we do not expect this to be a land threat, and that is good news,” Feltgen said, adding that the storm could still be a threat to boaters.
Josephine’s formation is the latest proof that this is expected to be an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season and perhaps the busiest on record. Never before has the Atlantic Ocean experienced 10 such storms this early in the season, which runs from June 1 through November 30. The previous record was set more than a decade ago with the formation of Tropical Storm Jose on August 22, 2005.
Josephine formed on Thursday, just days after Hurricane Isaias raked the Bahamas, parts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and then cut power on millions and caused floods and fires along the East Coast, even when it weakened in a tropical storm.
After making landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane, Isaias spewed a series of tornadoes, killing at least two people in Bertie County, NC. Two others were killed by falling trees in New York City and St. Louis. Mary’s County, Md. And more than two and a half million people on the East Coast lost power, some days.
Josephine was upgraded to a tropical storm after satellite data indicated winds were increasing to nearly 45 miles per hour, with even stronger moods.
But the National Hurricane Center said that, after gaining strength in the next two days, Josephine is expected to be weakened in a tropical depression. Beginning next week, the storm is expected to creep into the sea, saving the Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
“Hopefully, this is all a statistic and it does not bother anyone,” Mr Feltgen said.
The National Water Service warned last week that this is expected to be an unusually active hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. Historically, only two named storms formed in early August, and the ninth named storm did not normally form until October 4, according to the service. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, including six hurricanes. This year, the forecast calls for 19 to 25 named storms and seven to 11 hurricanes.
A tropical storm has wind speeds of 39 to 73 mph, while a hurricane produces winds of 74 mph or higher.
Forecasts have raised concerns that emergency response efforts could be hampered by the coronavirus pandemic, which could bump up aid agencies and cause evacuation farms into hot spots for disease.
