ORLANDO, Fla. _ Tropical Storm Kyle headed out to sea on Saturday morning, while Tropical Storm Josephine continued on a northwesterly path that means the Leeward Islands should be spared major impact. Neither storm should have an effect on Florida.
As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said Kyle was located about 360 miles east-southeast of Providence, Rhode Island. Maximum sustained winds were reported at 50 miles per hour as the storm moved east-northeast away from the coast at 21 mph.
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect as the tropical-storm force winds extended only up to 80 miles from the storm's center.
"Some slight additional strengthening is possible today before Kyle becomes post-tropical later this weekend," the NHC said. "Gradual weakening is then expected through early next week."
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Josephine was about 200 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands as of 11 a.m. Saturday. With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, the storm continued to move west-northwest at 16 mph.
Josephine's path is forecast to bend northeastward starting late Sunday, avoiding Florida _ though Bermuda is in its sights. Models show the storm downgraded to a tropical depression before it reaches Bermuda early Thursday.
"Locally heavy rainfall is possible in the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as Josephine passes by to the northeast," the hurricane center said. "Isolated possible flooding is possible in Puerto Rico through Monday."
Josephine made its debut as a tropical storm Thursday morning in the mid-Atlantic as the earliest 10th named storm on record followed by Friday's Kyle becoming the earliest 11th storm. Josephine upgraded from a tropical depression after convective patterns in the storm became more organized. Kyle skipped over the tropical-depression phase and went straight to tropical-storm status.
Two weather phenomena are currently protecting Florida from tropical events. The first is a large trough of pressure that's keeping the Sunshine State from living up to its name every afternoon. That trough is responsible for the intense afternoon thunderstorms during the past two weeks.
The second protective reason is the dry air from the Saharan Air Layer, which is forecast to further lessen Josephine's power.
The Saharan Air Layer is a plume of beige dust that whips off the African continent every year and into the upper atmosphere. From there, it travels into the tropical Atlantic region. The dust acts as a hurricane shield to the area by absorbing moisture and disturbing the still air with wind shear. However, the SAL is expected to peak next week _ meaning less dry dust will be occupying the air.
The season has now seen 11 named storms, including two hurricanes, as well as the short-lived Tropical Depression 10. Typically, the tenth (and now 11th) named storms of the year are identified around mid- to late-October, said Fox-35 meteorologist Glenn Richards. The average hurricane season has 12 named storms, but 2020 has proven it will not be an average season.
"It might be the highest it's ever been in my 27-year career here in Central Florida," Richards said. "And we're only in the middle of August."
