Less than a week after Hurricane Helene left a catastrophic trail of damage and destruction across south-eastern US states and with the Atlantic Hurricane Season continuing until the end of November, two more storms have formed in the Atlantic with a third potentially forming next week in the Gulf of Mexico.

Published 3 months ago

Seventh Hurricane of the Atlantic Season

Less than a week after Hurricane Helene devastated south-eastern states in the US, Hurricane Kirk has become the seventh of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and is now a Category 4 system according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).    The average formation date for the seventh hurricane is November 15th.

While Kirk is forecast to remain out to sea and not be a threat to land, the storm could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the U.S. East Coast as well as in Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas, forecasters said.

Right behind Hurricane Kirk is Hurricane Leslie which formed late Wednesday (October 2) in the eastern Atlantic as a Tropical Storm and has since been upgraded to Hurricane status.

However, it is not yet deemed a threat to land.  Leslie is located about 610 miles west-southwest of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands and has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.

UK and Europe on Alert

Parts of northwestern Europe are also on alert for Hurricane Kirk as forecasters expect the United Kingdom and France to receive heavy rainfall, rough seas and damaging wind gusts as the storm loses its heat source from the warm Atlantic Ocean and becomes known as a post-tropical cyclone.

Hurricane Helene leaves a trail of death and destruction

Hurricanes Kirk and Leslie formed as many people in the U.S. Southeast still lack running water, cellphone service and electricity following Hurricane Helene which struck the US states of Florida and North and South Carolina last week, leaving a trail of catastrophic damage, disastrous flooding and many deaths.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has surpassed 200 as rescuers continue to search for survivors from the storm.  More than half of the deaths were in North Carolina, where entire communities were uprooted and devastated by the deadliest mainland storm since Katrina in 2005, which killed more than 1,800 people.  Hundreds of people are still missing and 780,000 homes were without power nearly a week after Helene made landfall.

Northwestern Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico

The National Hurricane Center is also monitoring a weather pattern of disorganized showers and thunderstorms located over the southwestern Caribbean Sea which are associated with a trough of low pressure. The NHC says environmental conditions could support some gradual development of this system and a tropical depression could form towards the end of this week or this weekend while it moves generally northwestward over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and into the Gulf of Mexico.   It has a low (10 percent) chance of formation through 48 hours and a medium (40 percent) chance in the next seven days.

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Related News:

• Hurricane Kirk Strengthens into Category 4 System (CBS News)
• Powerful Hurricane Kirk to Impact Europe (AOL)
• Helene is Deadliest Hurricane Since Katrina (BBC)

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Related Links:

• NOAA – NWS National Hurricane Center
• Noonsite Weather Resources

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