What’s going on with Hurricane Kirk, Tropical Storm Leslie and that system in the Gulf?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Now that 120 mph Hurricane Kirk is a Category 3 (winds 111-120 mph), the National Hurricane Center is expecting this wide, powerful storm to upgrade to a Category 4 in the next 36 hours.

While Kirk is approximately 2,452 miles away from Jacksonville, effects will be felt here by the weekend. Not your normal rain, wind and tropical event, but more like what surfers want to see: Atlantic coast waves.

Swells generated by Kirk are expected to reach portions of the Leeward Islands on Friday, Bermuda and the Greater Antilles on Saturday, and the East Coast and the Bahamas on Sunday, the center said.

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.

Another area of focus is in the Gulf of Mexico. This spot continues to look more like a big rainmaker versus a tropical system.

It was downgraded to a 30% chance of development over the next 7 days, a disorganized low pressure system of showers and thunderstorms continue to keep forecasters on their toes. Will this become the next named tropical depression? Milton will be the next named tropical cyclone.

Either way, this system is bound to bring plenty of heavy rain to portions of the Florida peninsula over the next week.

For Jacksonville, the weather on Saturday will be rainy with a chance of thunderstorms and gusty winds. Sunday will be cooler under mostly cloudy skies, gusty winds and a 60% chance of heavy downpours.