Hurricane Kirk Could Affect East Coast on Sunday

After Hurricane Helene's devastation, Hurricane Isaac and Tropical Storm Joyce formed in the Atlantic Ocean and dissipated without ever posing a threat to the US mainland. The National Hurricane Center is now watching two more storms, one of which could cause rough conditions on the East Coast in the coming days. Hurricane Kirk strengthened to a Category 3 storm on Wednesday and the NHC expects it to gain more strength as it moves west across the Atlantic, though it is not expected to hit land, WESH reports.

• "Swells generated by Kirk are spreading westward and are expected to reach portions of the Leeward Islands on Friday, Bermuda and the Greater Antilles on Saturday, and the east coast of the United States and the Bahamas on Sunday," the NHC said in an advisory early Thursday. "These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

• Kirk is the 11th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted in May that there would be 17 to 25 named storms this season, the New York Times reports. The long-term average is 14 per season, but that been surpassed for eight years in a row, with 20 named storms last year.
• The 12th named storm, Tropical Storm Leslie, is in the eastern Atlantic, around 515 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and moving west-northwestward. Forecasters say Leslie will likely strengthen to a hurricane but is not expected to affect land.
• The NHC is also monitoring a system near the Gulf of Mexico, but its chances of becoming a major storm have dropped dramatically, WESH reports. The system is still expected to bring yet more rain to parts of Florida and Mexico.

(More hurricane stories.)