Although Jerry will pass close by to several Caribbean islands this week – potentially as a hurricane – it will not be a problem for the mainland U.S.Show Caption
Tropical Storm Jerry continues to spin in the Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center said on the morning of Oct. 8. The system is still far from land, nearly 900 miles from the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean.Although Jerry will pass close by to several Caribbean islands this week – potentially as a hurricane – it will not pose a problem for the mainland United States, as a strong cold front diving all the way across the eastern part of the country is expected to kick it out to sea, according to WPLG-TV hurricane specialist Michael Lowry.Tropical Storm Jerry is the 10th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. An average season sees 14 storms, according to data from Colorado State University.What's the forecast for Jerry?Jerry is forecast to pass near or just north of the northern Leeward Islands the night of Thursday, Oct. 9, and Friday, Oct. 10. People there should monitor the progress of the storm as there is a risk of wind, surf and rainfall impacts, the hurricane center said. Tropical storm watches are in effect for Antigua, Barbuda and Anguilla; St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat; St. Barthelemy and St. Martin; Sint Maarten; Saba and St. Eustatius; Guadeloupe; and the adjacent islands, the hurricane center said on Oct. 8.One to as much as 4 inches of rain is expected to fall from Jerry across portions of the islands Oct. 9 and 10, resulting in localized flash flooding and travel disruptions, AccuWeather said. Gusty winds will also accompany Jerry's closest approach to the islands, generally in the range of 40 to 60 mph.Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands could see peripheral effects, Lowry said in an Oct. 7 Substack post. This includes trailing showers or squalls, as the strengthening system passes to their north and east on Oct. 10 and into the weekend.After leaving the Caribbean, the vast majority of model guidance keeps Jerry east of Bermuda, according to Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza.The intensity forecast is tricky and guidance continues to give wide bookends – from a tropical storm to a major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane in the days ahead, Lowry said.What else is out there?The hurricane center also is watching a disturbed area over the Bay of Campeche in the southwestern Gulf that has a minimal chance of formation but is forecast to bring heavy rains to portions of Belize, the Yucatan Peninsula and southern Mexico this week.Meanwhile, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the basin is up to 16 named storms this season, including 10 hurricanes. Tropical Storm Octave (pronounced Oct-tayv), formerly a hurricane, managed a complete U-turn and is headed eastward again, but it's expected to dissolve into a depression by late in the week.Hurricane Priscilla is forecast to move along the western coast of Mexico, then make landfall along the Baja California coast by Friday, Oct. 10, as a tropical depression.Track Tropical Storm JerryContributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAYDoyle Rice is a reporter in the Nation section of USA TODAY, primarily writing about weather and climate.
