Newly formed Tropical Storm Kirk is now forecast to become a Major Hurricane in the days ahead by the Miami, Florida-based National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm formed as a Tropical Depression yesterday evening and is now a moderate tropical storm over the open waters of the Atlantic.
According to the last advisory from the NHC, Kirk was located about 740 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and a central minimum pressure of 1001 mb or 29.56.”
Tropical Storm Kirk is moving toward the west near 12 mph and the NHC says a general westward to west-northwestward motion is expected to continue through Tuesday. A gradual turn to the northwest is forecast by Wednesday. The NHC adds that Kirk is likely to become a hurricane by tomorrow and could become a major hurricane by midweek. Major hurricanes are hurricanes with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph or greater.
Kirk is moving over the open waters of the Atlantic and should stay there; it is not forecast to impact any land mass for at least the next 7 days.
There is a new disturbance forming in Kirk’s wake though which could be more problematic in the long range. Showers and thunderstorms continue to increase in association with a tropical wave located a few hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands. The NHC says that upper-level winds appear conducive for further development, and a tropical depression is very likely to form in a few days while it moves slowly westward over the eastern tropical Atlantic. The NHC is fairly confident of tropical cyclone development; they put odds of one forming at 90% now over the next few days.
