Hurricane forecasters watch an ominously familiar system – and more

While Helene was smashing into Florida and dumping rain on the southeast, hurricane forecasters were watching three systems in the Atlantic.

One of them is a new hurricane way out in the ocean. Hurricane Isaac formed Friday morning almost 1,000 miles from Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center said.

It's the sixth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, but for people in the U.S. it's perhaps the least worrisome one.

Saturday news: Live updates on Helene deaths, damage

Meanwhile, forecasters were also watching the Caribbean Sea, where yet another system appears to be brewing in a similar location to where Hurricane Helene formed. Here's what to know.

Tropical Storm Joyce also formed Friday

Elsewhere, forecasters were tracking newly formed Tropical Storm Joyce, which is located in the central Atlantic some 1,325 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. Joyce is moving toward the northwest near 13 mph and this general motion is expected to continue through Sunday with a gradually slower forward speed, the hurricane center said. On Monday, a gradual turn to the north is forecast.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is expected through Saturday, followed by gradual weakening through early next week.

As of Friday morning, Joyce poses no threat to any land areas.

Caribbean system brewing in familiar location

Finally, ominously, forecasters were also turning their attention back to the Caribbean Sea, where yet another system appears to be brewing in a similar location to where Hurricane Helene formed. "Environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for slow development while the system moves generally northwestward, potentially entering the Gulf of Mexico by the end of next week," the hurricane center said.

That system, if it strengthens to a named storm, would likely be called Tropical Storm Kirk.

Hurricane season in context

So far this season, a total of 10 named storms have formed in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the hurricane center. Of those 10 storms, six have strengthened into hurricanes, including newly formed Hurricane Isaac far out in the Atlantic.

That means the season is running roughly average for named storms, which is a far cry from the preseason forecasts of an extremely active, perhaps record-breaking season with as many as 30 storms possible.

A typical year sees 14 named storms, of which 7 are hurricanes, according to Colorado State University.

Helene, a record-smasher

Helene itself was a record-smashing storm, the strongest ever recorded to make landfall in Florida's Big Bend region. It was also the 4th US Gulf Coast landfalling hurricane of 2024 (joining Beryl, Debby, and Francine).

Only five other years on record have had that many Gulf hurricane landfalls: 1886, 1909, 1985, 2005, and 2020, according to Colorado State meteorologist Phil Klotzbach.

It was also the ninth-strongest hurricane since 1900 to make landfall in Florida, based on barometric pressure.