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

Hurricane Kirk is making its way across the Atlantic. Per an advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Saturday morning at 4 a.m. EST, the weather event has weakened slightly and is now a Category 3 hurricane, after churning as a Category 4.

However, “Kirk remains a powerful major hurricane over the open Atlantic. Large swells from Kirk [are] expected to reach the U.S. East Coast by Sunday.”

Despite caution being advised, Kirk is forecast to continue weakening over the weekend through early next week.

Unusually large waves generated by the storm—referred to as “swells”—are impacting the Leeward Islands, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles. Per the NHC, “these swells are expected to spread westward to the east coast of the United States, Atlantic Canada, and the Bahamas Saturday night and Sunday, and to the Azores on Monday.”

“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, though the NHC recommends that “interests in the Azores”—an archipelago off the coast of Portugal—should keep monitoring the hurricane.

Kirk is traveling in a northwest direction at approximately 13 m.p.h. and has maximum sustained winds of near 125 m.p.h. It is expected to turn north, and then make a fast turn to the north northeast on Sunday and Monday.

Kirk comes in the middle of a difficult hurricane season. Last week, Hurricane Helene caused devastation across the southeastern U.S. Per the New York Times as of Friday afternoon, at least 225 people had been confirmed dead. Meanwhile, searches are ongoing for people who are missing as a result of Hurricane Helene.

Kirk is currently one of two hurricanes moving through the Atlantic, after Leslie formed earlier in the week and became a Category 1 hurricane on Friday.