(RNN) - Subtropical storm Ernesto has formed hundred of miles away from the U.S. coast, and will likely never threaten North America.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm was 695 miles southeast of Newfoundland, heading north at 8 mph and packing maximum-sustained winds of 40 mph.
It will eventually lose all tropical characteristics as it head northeast in the general direction of Europe, merging with a frontal system along the way.
Whether a storm is tropical depends on the way it generates energy and the way it is organized, the NHC said.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic season.
Subtropical Storm #Ernesto Advisory 2: Subtropical Depression Strengthens Into Subtropical Storm Ernesto. https://t.co/VqHn0uj6EM
— NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) August 15, 2018
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revised its hurricane season forecast earlier this month, advising people that the Atlantic hurricane season will be less active than usual.
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