Subtropical Storm Josephine Forms Off East Coast, Threatening New England and Atlantic Canada

A powerful nor’easter that spent days churning off the East Coast has transformed into Subtropical Storm Josephine, becoming the 10th named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm is now threatening parts of New England and Atlantic Canada with gusty winds, heavy rain and dangerous surf.

“When people hear the term subtropical, they may assume it’s a weaker version of a tropical storm, but that’s not necessarily the case,” said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva. “These storms can have broad wind fields that produce dangerous surf and coastal impacts far from the storm’s center. Josephine is a reminder that a storm’s classification doesn’t always tell the full story of its potential impacts.”

Subtropical Storm Josephine is expected to pull away from the East Coast beginning Thursday before being absorbed into another storm over cooler Atlantic waters late this weekend. While unlikely to become a hurricane, Josephine could still produce hurricane-force wind gusts. Impacts across New England and Atlantic Canada will gradually diminish through the weekend.

What Makes a Storm Subtropical?

Unlike purely tropical storms, which derive their energy primarily from warm ocean waters, subtropical storms draw energy from a combination of warm ocean waters and atmospheric processes associated with the jet stream.

Subtropical storms also typically have larger wind fields than purely tropical systems, allowing hazardous marine conditions to extend farther from their centers.

Josephine developed from an area of pressure associated with a cold front off the East Coast, a setup that can support tropical or subtropical development during the later months of hurricane season.

What AccuWeather Expert Meteorologists Are Tracking

• Gusty winds: gusts of 40-60 mph are expected from coastal Massachusetts through southern Newfoundland, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 75 mph. Downed trees and power outages are possible, especially in Atlantic Canada.
• Heavy rain: Coastal Nova Scotia and southern Newfoundland could receive 1-2 inches, with 2-4 inches along eastern Nova Scotia and a Local StormMax™ of 6 inches. Flash flooding is possible in low-lying areas.
• Coastal hazards: Rough surf and dangerous swells will continue along the Mid-Atlantic coast through eastern Canada into the weekend.
• Timing: Josephine will drift northeastward through Saturday, with impacts decreasing as the storm moves into the central Atlantic by Sunday.

Josephine is rated a less than one on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes in the United States and Canada.

A Similar Transformation Five Years Ago

Josephine’s evolution echoes Subtropical Storm Wanda, which developed from a powerful nor’easter in October 2021.

Wanda brought damaging winds, heavy rain and coastal flooding to parts of the Northeast before moving farther into the Atlantic and acquiring subtropical characteristics on Oct. 30, 2021. Like Josephine, Wanda began as a non-tropical coastal storm before transitioning into a named subtropical system.

While the two storms followed different tracks, both demonstrated how late-season coastal storms can evolve over the relatively warm water of the Atlantic, even after producing significant impacts along the East Coast.