AREQUIPA, Peru – The Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) in Cuba reported this Monday that Tropical Storm Kirk, the eleventh named in the current cyclone season, continues to gain organization and intensity as it passes through the Atlantic.
According to the tropical cyclone warning issued by the Insmet Forecast Center at 6:00 p.m. local time, cited by the state pressthe maximum sustained winds increased to 95 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts, while the central pressure has decreased to 999 hPa.
At that time, the central region of the system was estimated at 13.6 degrees north latitude and 35.8 degrees west longitude, a position that places it about 1,300 kilometers west of the Cape Verde Islands.
Kirk is moving on a course close to the west with a forward speed of 19 kilometers per hour.
Experts predict that in the next 12 to 24 hours the tropical storm will continue moving over open waters of the tropical Atlantic, changing its course towards the west-northwest.
The tropical storm moves into a favorable environment to gain more organization and intensity, so it could become a hurricane in the afternoon hours of this Tuesday and a high intensity hurricane on Wednesday.
This system does not pose a danger to Cuba, it is only of interest for navigation, Insmet reported.
In a recent update of the seasonal forecast, published at the end of August, specialists from the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba reaffirmed their initial projections about the 2024 cyclone season, highlighting a “very active” behavior in the North Atlantic basin, which also includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Dr. Miriam Teresita Llanes Monteagudo, head of the Institute’s Forecasting Center, detailed the official Granma that, for the rest of the season, the formation of 15 tropical storms is expected in this geographical area, of which nine could evolve into hurricanes.
The analysis details that, of the total number of storms predicted, 12 will develop in the Atlantic oceanic area, while three could originate in the Caribbean Sea. The odds that a hurricane originate and intensify in the Caribbean are 85%, and there is a 70% probability that a hurricane originating in the Atlantic will penetrate the Caribbean region.
Furthermore, the danger that Cuba will be affected by at least one hurricane is 80%, while the probability that at least one tropical storm will impact the country reaches 90%.
