Josephine formed south of Cape Cod on Wednesday as the Atlantic season’s 10th named storm and first subtropical storm, with 65 mph sustained winds and a northeast track away from the U.S.
Forecasters expect the storm to strengthen over Gulf Stream waters, then transition into an extratropical system with hurricane-force winds as it passes south of Nova Scotia on Friday.
North Carolina’s Outer Banks already saw more than 2 feet of storm surge at Duck, damaging NC-12 and forcing a road closure with emergency ferry service planned.
Offshore tropical storm warnings stretch from the Mid-Atlantic through the Northeast and southeastern Canada, while coastal New England faces gale warnings, 40 mph gusts and seas up to 14 feet.
Josephine should be short-lived and absorbed by a larger low by Sunday, but it adds to a season that has produced 10 named storms, including four U.S. landfalls and two billion-dollar events.