Tropical Storm Kyle joins Josephine in the Atlantic. Both forecast to stay out at sea
Tropical Storm Josephine has company in the Atlantic, but both storms are predicted to stay out at sea.
Tropical Storm Kyle formed Friday afternoon and is about 715 miles southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, according to the National Hurricane Center. The 11th named storm of the season shattered another record, forming faster than any other K-named storm.
Forecasters said they expect the short-lived storm to head east and become a post-tropical storm overnight Saturday or Sunday.
Josephine is still expected to dissipate by Monday, if not sooner. The hurricane center’s latest track keeps the storm out at sea, and it could bring a couple inches of rain to the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The storm is passing far enough away from the Leeward Islands to prevent major impacts.
As of the 5 p.m. Saturday update, the storm is about 160 miles northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands and is heading west-northwestward over the Atlantic at 17 mph, according to the hurricane center. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph with higher gusts, and its tropical storm force winds are extending outward up to 80 miles.
The latest track shows the storm staying far away from land as it heads west through the weekend before making a northern turn Sunday night. There are no watches or warnings in effect at this time.
“For the next 36-48 h, Josephine or its remnants are likely to continue to move west-northwestward on the southwest side of the subtropical ridge,” forecasters said. “After that, the system is forecast to recurve to the north and north-northeast through a break in the western portion of the ridge.”
NOAA recently updated its 2020 hurricane season predictions upward to 19 to 25 named storms, a record-breaking prediction.
The most active hurricane season on record, 2005, saw 28 named storms, including Katrina, Rita and Wilma. There were so many storms, the hurricane center had to start naming new ones after letters in the Greek alphabet.
The next named storm would be Laura.
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 11:17 AM.
