Hurricane Kirk will trigger a deadly warning for the states hardest hit by Helene

Tropical Storm Kirk – expected to strengthen into a major hurricane later this week – will trigger a deadly warning for the US East Coast just a week after Hurricane Helene devastated several states.

Helene made landfall last Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of about 140 mph near Perry, Florida, in the state’s Big Bend region.

The storm claimed lives in several southern and southeastern states. Storm surges, devastating winds and torrential rains threatened several levees and inundated Asheville, North Carolina with floodwaters. More than 100 people died in the storm, the Associated Press reported.

Tropical Storm Kirk formed in the Atlantic on Monday. Kirk had a maximum sustained wind speed of 60 miles per hour Monday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects Kirk to become a “very strong major hurricane” in the next few days.

Spaghetti or computer models illustrating possible storm paths show Kirk staying at sea or turning northeast to head toward Europe. However, deadly waves caused by the storm will travel hundreds of miles and hit the East Coast, where many states are still recovering from Helene.

“It will definitely cause swell on the East Coast of the United States,” said Will Ulrich, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS). Newsweek.

Ulrich said deadly rip currents could impact the East Coast as early as Sunday. Warnings related to the rip currents could be issued as early as this weekend, about a day ahead of expected conditions.

“It will take a while for the waves to propagate to the coast, but modeling suggests Kirk will send a long-lasting swell to the East Coast of the U.S.,” Ulrich said.

Rip currents can be caused by hurricanes or tropical storms causing disturbances in the ocean, and they can affect a beach even if a tropical storm is hundreds of miles away, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned. Kirk’s currents make for dangerous swimming conditions, although the larger waves attract people to the beach.

“While the surf looks more inviting due to the waves, very dangerous rip current hazards often increase as waves from distant hurricanes begin to hit the coast,” Ulrich said, adding that it will also be very dangerous for east-central Florida until to the east coast.

And while Kirk is not expected to make direct landfall in the U.S., the currents could prove deadly.

“Ripple currents were the number one weather-related cause of death in east-central Florida and along the East Coast,” Ulrich said. “Even distant hurricanes can be dangerous.”