Hurricane Kirk in Mid-Atlantic; TS Leslie May Hit Bermuda: NHC Reports

Two tropical cyclones – Hurricane Kirk and Tropical Storm Leslie – are currently active in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center in Miami is tracking both of them, as well as the remnants of Hurricane Isaac.

Hurricane Kirk seems to be roughly on the same storm track as Tropical Storm Gordon earlier this month. It iscurrently moving “toward the north-northwest near 12 mph, 19 km/h,” said the NHC’s 5:00 a.m. AST bulletin. However, “a turn to the north and then northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected later today. The forecast track keeps Kirk over the open waters of the North Atlantic during the next two days.” On the NHC’s 5-day forecast track Kirk, or its remnants, could come ashore on the west coast of Ireland or Scotland next week.

At present it is a category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale with maximum sustained winds around 105 mph, 165 km/h, with higher gusts. The NHC said “some fluctuations in intensity are likely today, but a gradual weakening should begin on Saturday.”

Leslie is at present a much weaker storm with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph, 100 km/h with higher gusts; it is just below hurricane strength. However the NHC is forecasting “additional strengthening during the next 48 hours, and Leslie could become a hurricane later today or tonight.”

While still far from any land, Leslie is “moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph, 26 km/h, and this general motion with a slight decrease in forward speed is expected during the next couple of days,” said the NHC’s 5:00 a.m. AST bulletin.

On that forecast track it would pose no threat to the Caribbean, but it could hit Bermuda at the end of next week.

Source: National Hurricane Center

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Hurricane