(This story was updated to add new information and to add a video.)
Hurricane Kirk has weakened slightly but is still a Category 4 storm with 130-mph winds, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
Large swells from Kirk could bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to the East Coast of the U.S. by Sunday, along with hazardous boating conditions lasting until Tuesday.
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Elsewhere in the Atlantic basin, Tropical Storm Leslie west of Africa continues to grow growing stronger and is expected to become a hurricane by Saturday.
A system of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico is forecast to bring heavy rain and flooding to Florida starting late Sunday, even if it doesn't develop into a tropical storm or hurricane. A tropical or subtropical depression or storm could form during the early to middle part of next week, depending on environmental conditions, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
Where is Hurricane Kirk going?
- Location : 960 miles east-northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands; 1,645 miles west-southwest of the Azores
- Maximum sustained winds : 130 mph
- Movement : northwest at 12 mph
- Spaghetti models for Hurricane Kirk
At 5 p.m., the center of Hurricane Kirk was located near latitude 23.7 North, longitude 49.4 West.
Kirk is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph.
A turn toward the north and northeast at a faster forward speed is anticipated over the weekend.
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➤ Florida could see heavy rain from tropical system in Gulf of Mexico.
Maximum sustained winds are now near 130 mph with higher gusts. Kirk is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Small intensity fluctuations are possible today and tonight.
Weakening is forecast to begin on Saturday and continue through early next week.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 220 miles.
Hurricane Kirk spaghetti models
Special note about spaghetti models: Spaghetti model illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
What impacts can Florida, US expect from Hurricane Kirk?
Swells generated by Kirk are spreading westward and are expected to reach the Leeward Islands later today, Bermuda and the Greater Antilles on Saturday, the east coast of the United States, Atlantic Canada, and the Bahamas on Sunday, and the Azores on Monday.
Expect to see building surf and dangerous rip currents.
➤ See the latest forecast and radar across Florida.
From Saturday to Tuesday, those swells will create poor to hazardous boating conditions , according to the National Weather Service Melbourne. Seas are predicted to reach 4 to 6 feet near shore, and up to 7 feet offshore late Saturday into Sunday. Seas could hit 8 feet by Monday and remain hazardous into Tuesday.
Kirk represents a major threat to shipping interests , and its progress should be monitored by transatlantic operations and interests in the United Kingdom and the Europe mainland, according to AccuWeather .
Where is Tropical Storm Leslie going?
At 5 p.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Leslie was located near latitude 10.3 North, longitude 33.6 West.
Leslie is moving toward the west-northwest near 7 mph and this motion is expected to continue through Saturday.
A turn toward the northwest and an increase in forward speed is expected early Sunday into Monday.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 70 mph with higher gusts.
Additional strengthening is forecast, and Leslie is expected to become a hurricane tonight or Saturday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center.
Tropical Storm Leslie spaghetti models
Special note about spaghetti models: Spaghetti model illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
What impacts can Florida, US expect from Tropical Storm Leslie?
No impacts to land from Tropical Storm Leslie are expected at this time.
Leslie is forecast to take a path farther to the west than Kirk but should still avoid the Caribbean Islands, AccuWeather said. Like Kirk, it will be a significant concern for trans-Atlantic shipping.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Kirk remains Category 4 hurricane with 130-mph winds. See what impacts Florida can expect
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