MIAMI — Hurricane Isaac was a Category 2 storm far from land in the North Atlantic on Saturday, while Tropical Storm Joyce continued its path over open water well to the east of the Caribbean.
Isaac had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) and was about 645 miles (1,040 kilometers) west-northwest of the Azores archipelago, which lies west of mainland Portugal. It was moving toward the northeast at 18 mph (30 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.
Far to the south, Joyce had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), and its center was about 1,080 miles (1,735 kilometers) east of the Northern Leeward Islands, which are on the eastern ring of the Caribbean. It was heading to the west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph), the hurricane center reported.
Neither storm posed any threat to land, forecasters said, and both were expected to weaken in the coming days.
Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm early Friday, left an enormous path of destruction across the southeastern United States and has left at least 56 dead.
Eastern and Central Tropical Atlantic (Invest 90-L)
An elongated area of low pressure located a few hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands continues to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms.
Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression will likely form during the early or middle part of this week while the system moves toward the west and then northwest across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…40 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…70 percent.
Hurricane Joyce is dubbed a “fish storm.”
Western Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico
An area of low pressure is expected to form over the western Caribbean Sea in a couple of days.
Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for gradual development thereafter, and a
tropical depression could form around the middle part of this week.
This system is expected to move northwestward into the Gulf of Mexico during the latter portion of this week, and interests in the northwestern Caribbean Sea and along the U.S. Gulf Coast should
monitor its progress.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days…medium…50 percent.
Hurricane Isaac is also a “fish storm.”