MIAMI — Kirk became a hurricane in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday. The storm could strengthen into a major hurricane by tomorrow, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was about 1,070 miles (1,720 kilometers) west of the Cabo Verde Island with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph).
There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and the storm system was not yet deemed a threat to land.
It is the eleventh named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
This comes after Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction across the south, killing nearly 160 people.
Two other named storms are in the Atlantic right now are Isaac and Joyce but it is unclear what, if any, impact they will have on the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Eastern Tropical Atlantic (Invest 91-L)
Showers and thunderstorms continue to show signs of organization in association with an area of low pressure located a few hundred miles south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.
Environmental conditions appear conducive for further development of this system, and a tropical depression is expected to form during the next day or so while it moves slowly westward over the eastern tropical Atlantic.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…90 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…90 percent.
Northwestern Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico
A broad trough of low pressure is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms from the southwestern Caribbean Sea into the southern Gulf of Mexico.
Environmental conditions could support some gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form over the weekend as the broader disturbance moves fully into the Gulf of Mexico. Interests along the U.S. Gulf Coast should continue to monitor the progress of this system.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days…medium…40 percent.
A fish storm is a tropical storm or hurricane that runs its entire course out at sea,
Hurricane season officially ends on November 30.
