Tropical Storm Jerry set to approach Leeward Islands — but not as hurricane
Tropical Storm Jerry is no longer expected to approach the easternmost Caribbean islands as a hurricane, although they still remain under a tropical storm watch.
The latest National Hurricane Center forecast for the storm now calls for it to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane on Friday after it swerves and passes the northern Leeward Islands later Thursday evening.
“However...the strongest winds should pass to the east of the islands due to Jerry’s asymmetric structure,” forecasters said in the 5 p.m. update. “Jerry is expected to pass east of Bermuda in a few days, and given its expected eastward asymmetry, significant impacts appear unlikely there.”
From there, the hurricane center’s track steers the storm far away from land, even Bermuda to the north.
As of the 8 p.m. update, forecasters said Jerry was holding steady with 65 mph maximum sustained winds.
.png "two_atl_7d0 (18).png")
The hurricane center is also watching a disturbance in the far northeastern Atlantic, which rose from only a 10% chance earlier in the day to a 60% likelihood of formation in the next two to seven days, according to the 8 p.m. update.
The system could be on the cusp of becoming a subtropical or tropical storm as soon as Thursday night, if it sees “only a small increase in organization.”
However, it is forecast to move over cooler waters over the weekend, effectively ending any chances of further development. The system is also not near any land.
The next tropical storm would be named Karen.
This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 8:06 AM.
%20Cropped%20(2).jpg)