Weakening expected for tropical storms Josephine, Kyle

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Josephine was expected to weaken as it skirts islands in the Caribbean and Tropical Storm Kyle was moving away from the continental United States, forecasters said Saturday night.

Threats to land continued to be minimal for both storms, according to the US National Hurricane Center’s 11:00 p.m. advisories.

Josephine was centred 135 miles north-northeast of the Leeward Islands and was expected to pass north of the islands within the next day, forecasters said.

Kyle was 590 miles southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, Canada, and was forecast to move off towards the east over the weekend.

Both storms had maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour and gradual weakening was forecast through Sunday.

Kyle was projected to become a post-tropical low Sunday morning.

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect for either storm.

Josephine was forecast to bring one to three inches of rain to parts of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

It’s been an active Atlantic hurricane season and forecasters predict several more named storms are on the way.

So far this year, Cristobal, Danielle, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine and Kyle have set records for being the earliest named Atlantic storms of their respective place in the alphabet.

Only Hanna and Isaias this year have developed into hurricanes.

Before Kyle, the earliest “K-named” storm was Katrina, which formed August 24, 2005, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Isaias killed two people in the Caribbean earlier this month.

Several others across multiple US states were then killed when the storm made landfall in North Carolina and moved through the East Coast, leading to floods, tornadoes, fires, and widespread power outages.

Last month, Hurricane Hanna slammed the Texas Gulf Coast with high winds and rains that flooded streets and knocked out power across the region.

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