Kirk is a record-setting hurricane swirling through the central Atlantic Ocean this week. The large and powerful storm may be thousands of kilometres away from Canada, but we’ll start to feel some of the storm’s influence here beginning this weekend.
That hurricane isn’t the only storm in town. Anyone with interests in Florida should remain alert as a disturbance threatens widespread flooding rains throughout the state heading into next week.
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Hurricane Kirk set the record for the strongest storm we’ve ever seen so far east in the Atlantic this late in the season. Strong hurricanes in October tend to form much closer to North America. Kirk is more like a storm we’d see in late August or early September, a testament to how unusually steamy the waters are this year.
Forecasters found that the storm ballooned into a Category 4 with winds topping 200 km/h late Thursday, and the hurricane maintained its impressive strength throughout the day Friday. Kirk is expected to recurve toward the northern Atlantic Ocean and away from North America, potentially bringing foul weather to Europe by next week.
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Even on its current track, such a large and intense storm can have far-reaching effects, some of which we’ll see here in Canada beginning this weekend.
The hurricane’s large and powerful waves will radiate west through the weekend, reaching Canada Sunday into Monday. Folks heading to the beach along the East Coast should use extreme caution as high swells can pose a significant danger along the shoreline.
Large swells from faraway hurricanes routinely kill people in Canada and the U.S. Stay away from rocks, overhangs, and anywhere rough waves could splash up and sweep you into the ocean.
Dangerous rip currents will also be a significant hazard as these waves reach the coast.
South of the border, we’re on alert for yet another heavy rain event courtesy of a tropical disturbance moving through the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s uncertain whether this disturbance will develop into a tropical system, but it’s promising widespread flooding rains across Florida regardless of its ultimate development.
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Forecasters expect 125-175 mm of rain to fall across much of the Florida Peninsula heading into next week, with locally higher totals possible. This includes Miami, Fort Myers, and the Florida Keys.
We’re also continuing to watch Tropical Storm Leslie in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean. This system is expected to grow into a hurricane by this weekend, taking a similar recurving track to Hurricane Kirk that’ll keep the storm safely out to sea.
