Hurricane Kirk strengthens into Category 3 storm in the Atlantic, expected to grow
Waves from Hurricane Kirk could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions this weekend along the U.S. East Coast as well as in Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas, forecasters said.
Kirk was a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic Ocean and could strengthen further, but was expected to remain away from land, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said Thursday. But forecasters warned that "large swells" could reach the East Coast by Sunday.
Swells generated by Kirk were expected to reach portions of the Leeward Islands on Friday and Bermuda and the Greater Antilles on Saturday, the center said.
There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect. The major hurricane was about 1,130 miles east of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Leslie formed late Wednesday in the eastern Atlantic and could strengthen into a hurricane in the coming days, forecasters said. It also was not yet deemed a threat to land.
The storm was located about 540 miles southwest of the southernmost tip of the Cabo Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, the center said.
The storms formed as many people in the U.S. Southeast still lacked running water, cellphone service and electricity as rescuers searched for people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene struck last week and left a trail of death and catastrophic damage.
More than 190 people died in one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. At least 192 people were confirmed dead across multiple states as of Thursday morning, according to a tally by CBS News.
President Biden traveled to the Carolinas on Wednesday for an aerial tour of the widespread damage caused by the storm. Vice President Kamala Harris was in Georgia receiving updates on the emergency response to the storm's devastation there.