Here’s What You Need to Know About Hurricane Kirk’s Expected Path

Hurricane Kirk is making its way across the Atlantic. The weather event strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, and per an advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Thursday morning at 4 a.m. EST, Kirk is forecast to strengthen while moving northwestward over the central Atlantic. 

Unusually large waves generated by the storm—referred to as “swells”—are expected to reach the Leeward Islands, on Friday, Bermuda and the Greater Antilles on Saturday, and the Bahamas and East Coast of the U.S. on Sunday.

“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the NHC advised. 

There are currently no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Kirk is traveling in a northwest direction at approximately 10 m.p.h. and has maximum sustained winds of near 120 m.p.h. It is expected to continue in this general direction until Friday, when it is set to make a turn toward the north and north-northeast.

Kirk comes in the middle of a difficult hurricane season. Last week, Hurricane Helene caused devastation across the southeastern U.S. Per the BBC, as of Tuesday, 135 people had been confirmed dead across six states. On Thursday morning, that number was estimated to have risen to at least 191. Meanwhile, searches are ongoing for people who are missing as a result of Hurricane Helene. Flash floods swamped urban areas across the state of Florida and numerous landslides plagued the Appalachian region as a result of the storm. The winds toppled trees and destroyed homes.