Tropical Storm Josephine - already the tenth named storm of the season - formed in the central Atlantic Thursday, but is not expected to be a threat to the United States.
As of late Thursday evening, Josephine was located 760 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands, had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, and was moving west-northwestward at 17 mph. This trajectory will likely keeping Josephine north of the Lesser Antilles and far enough away to prevent significant impacts to any land areas.
Josephine has a brief window of opportunity for further strengthening, before unfavorable environmental conditions - namely strong winds aloft - are likely to cause it to weaken this weekend. Tropical Storm Josephine is then expected to degenerate into a tropical wave and stay over the open waters of the western Atlantic, remaining only a concern to shipping interests and mariners.
Tropical Storm Josephine is the earliest tenth named storm on record to form in the Atlantic. The previous record was Tropical Storm Jose, which formed on August 22, 2005.
Elsewhere in the tropics, an area of low pressure in North Carolina has the potential to develop into a tropical depression this weekend, but it will likely be moving farther away from the United States when that occurs. There are no current tropical threats to Florida or the United States.
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