Hurricane forecasters are watching Isaac, Joyce and perhaps Kirk

Tropical Storm Joyce also formed on Friday

Elsewhere, meteorologists were tracking newly formed Tropical Storm Joyce, which is located in the central Atlantic about 1,325 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. Joyce is moving northwest at about 13 miles per hour, and that general motion is expected to continue through Sunday at a gradually slowing forward speed, the hurricane center said. A gradual turn to the north is forecast for Monday.

Maximum sustained winds will be around 40 mph, with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is expected by Saturday, followed by gradual weakening by early next week.

As of Friday morning, Joyce does not pose a threat to land areas.

Caribbean system brewing in familiar place

Finally, worryingly, forecasters also turned their attention back to the Caribbean Sea, where another system appears to be brewing in a location similar to where Hurricane Helene formed. “Environmental conditions are expected to favor slow development as the system moves generally northwestward, potentially entering the Gulf of Mexico by late next week,” the hurricane center said.

If this system strengthens into a named storm, it would likely be called Tropical Storm Kirk.

Hurricane season in context

According to the hurricane center, a total of ten named storms have formed in the Atlantic so far this season. Of those ten storms, six have developed into hurricanes, including the newly formed Hurricane Isaac far out in the Atlantic.