Hurricane Kirk strengthens into Category 4 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 4 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 1,085 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as of 5 p.m. EDT Thursday.

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 580 miles west-southwest of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 50 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 200 people were confirmed dead across multiple states Thursday in one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history, according to a tally by CBS News.

President Biden went to Florida and Georgia Thursday to survey the widespread damage from the storm.

The trip is the president’s second consecutive day viewing hurricane damage in the Southeast. He visited the Carolinas on Wednesday, surveying the flood damage from Greenville, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina, by air, and receiving emergency response updates from officials in Raleigh. 

The president announced the federal government will cover “100%” of all debris removal and emergency protective measure costs in North Carolina for six months, and will do the same for Florida and Georgia for the next 90 days.