As Tropical Storm Jerry churns in the Atlantic, Priscilla and a nor'easter threaten US with flooding

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MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Jerry churned Thursday in the Atlantic on its approach to the Leeward Islands as Tropical Storm Priscilla and Tropical Storm Raymond moved along Mexico’s Pacific coast, threatening heavy rain and flooding in their paths, forecasters said.

Tropical Storm Raymond was announced midday Thursday by the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, making it the third system now off the western coast of Mexico. Post-tropical cyclone Octave was also off Mexico's Pacific coast, but weakening.

Raymond was about 85 miles (155 kilometers) south-southeast of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was traveling west-northwest at 15 mph (24 kph), forecasters said.

Priscilla could bring flash flooding through the weekend across the U.S. Southwest, the hurricane center said.

Also Thursday, Subtropical Storm Karen formed far from land in the north Atlantic Ocean. The center said Karen was about 545 miles (880 kilometers) north-northwest of the Azores and packing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

A subtropical storm tends to have a wide zone of strong winds farther from its center compared to a tropical storm, which generates heavier rains, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

Off the coast of the U.S. Southeast, meanwhile, a storm without a name along with unusually high King Tides because the moon is closer than usual to the Earth threatened to bring days of heavy winds that could cause coastal flooding, especially along the vulnerable North Carolina Outer Banks and in frequently flooded Charleston, South Carolina.

About seven weeks remain in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, and meteorologists warned the Pacific Ocean cooling pattern called La Nina, which can warp weather worldwide and turbocharge hurricanes, has returned.

It may be too late in the hurricane season to impact tropical weather in the Atlantic, but this La Nina may have other impacts from heavy rains to drought across the globe.

Jerry was centered about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands and moving northwest at 17 mph (28 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), the center said.

The storm was expected to pass just east of the northern Leeward Islands on Thursday night.

Officials in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe warned of power outages on Thursday, noting the island’s grid is grappling with power generation issues that began earlier this week and that inclement weather would worsen them.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Barbuda and Anguilla, St. Barthelemy and St. Martin, Sint Maarten and Guadeloupe and the adjacent islands. A tropical storm watch was in effect for Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat and Saba and St. Eustatius, the hurricane center said.

The storm should strengthen into a hurricane Saturday. The Nor'easter expected to send rain and pounding waves into the Southeast U.S. is helping steer Jerry away from the islands and into the open Atlantic, forecasters said.

In Charleston, the combination of the coastal storm and the higher King Tides have forecasters predicting a high tide Friday morning of 8.5 feet (2.6 meters). That would be the 13th highest tide at the gauge in Charleston Harbor, which has been recording data for more than a century.

The city offered free parking in some garages starting Thursday morning when the tide was 0.6 feet (18 centimeters) below Friday's forecast but still flooded about a dozen streets.

Along the North Carolina Outer Banks, forecasters said the worst weather should start Friday through the weekend. They warned it was likely that highway N.C. 12 on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands would likely have to close again because of ocean overwash.

More homes could fall into the sea too. Twenty-one houses have collapsed because of rising sea levels and shifting beaches since 2020, with 10 of them destroyed by the churning waters in the past month as Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda moved well offshore, according to the National Park Service.

In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Raymond was forecast to remain off the southwestern coast of Mexico through Friday before nearing Baja California Sur on Saturday and Sunday. The hurricane center said the storm would strengthen by Friday before weakening over the weekend.

A tropical storm warning associated with Raymond was issued from Zihuatanejo to Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.

Tropical Storm Priscilla was centered about 170 miles (275 kilometers) west of Cabo San Lazaro, Mexico, and moving north-northwest at 8 mph (13 kph) with maximum sustained winds of about 50 mph (85 kph).

Priscilla had approached major hurricane status Tuesday before weakening to a tropical storm on Wednesday.

The storm is expected to move into the southwestern U.S. as it weakens further. Flood watches have been issued for parts of Arizona, California and Nevada.

Meanwhile, the former tropical storm Octave dissipated Thursday about 360 miles (580 kilometers) off the southern tip of Baja California, the hurricane center said.