MIAMI — Josephine, which forecasters described as a “powerful extratropical low” system with tropical storm-force winds, remained offshore in the Atlantic on Thursday but brought impacts including coastal flooding and gale-force winds to the Eastern Seaboard. Large swells that could create life-threatening surf and rip current conditions were possible along the coast up to Atlantic Canada, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. Josephine had maximum sustained winds of 65 m.p.h (100 km/h). It was centred about 235 miles (380 kilometres) east-southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and about 335 miles (540 kilometres) south-southwest of Halifax. It was moving northeast at 17 m.p.h (28 km/h). The Miami-based hurricane centre said Josephine was forecast to continue moving away from the United States and remain south of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. It was expected to continue gaining strength and become “a powerful extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds” by Thursday night or Friday. According to the NHC, an extratropical cyclone refers to a cyclone that has lost its “tropical” characteristics, and its main energy source “results from the temperature contrast between warm and cold air masses.” The National Weather Service posted a gale warning for parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, meaning winds above 39 m.p.h (63 km/h) were possible through midmorning Friday. Small watercraft were also advised of hazardous conditions south to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Minor to moderate coastal flooding was expected to continue through the week on the mid-Atlantic coast. Meanwhile in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Vance was well off Mexico’s southern coast and was forecast to intensify and become a hurricane and then a major hurricane by the weekend. Vance had maximum sustained winds of 65 m.p.h (100 km/h). It was located about 490 miles (785 kilometres) south of Acapulco, Mexico, and was heading toward the west-northwest at 5 m.p.h (7 km/h). The Associated Press
