The 11th tropical depression of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season has been updated to Tropical Storm Josephine by the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC). Josephine is now the earliest “J” storm to form on record in the Atlantic, beating 2005’s Jose which formed on August 22.
As of the latest advisory from the NHC, the center of Tropical Storm Josephine was located near latitude 13.7 North, longitude 49.2 West, which places it roughly 975 miles east south east of the Northern Leeward Islands. Josephine’s maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph with higher gusts; the estimated minimum central pressure is 1005 mb or 29.68 inches.
The National Hurricane Center expects Josephine to gain additional strength over the next 48 hours. The storm is currently moving to the west north west at 15 mph; the NHC expects that over time, the storm will turn more northwest. While no hurricane nor tropical storm watches are up for the Leeward Islands, the NHC says future advisories may become necessary.
It is still too early to know with certainty where Josephine will go in time. While conditions are favorable for additional development over the next 48 hours, the area it is moving too will become somewhat more hostile to additional development. But as Hurricane Isaias proved, even a system traveling through a hostile environment can retain its strength.
Residents of the Leeward Islands, southern Bahamas, U.S. East Coast, and Bermuda should closely monitor this storm in the coming days. While there is no expected threats to any land within the next 4 days, that could change over time.
