Topline

Hurricane Kirk, a Category 3 storm moving from the central Atlantic toward the East Coast, could bring “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” to parts of the United States this weekend.

Important facts

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Important background

Kirk is the 11th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, arriving a week after Helene made landfall on September 26th. Meteorologists predicted this year to be the busiest storm season (from June 1 to November 30) ever predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with up to 25 named storms and 13 hurricanes expected. To date, there have been seven hurricanes (Beryl, Debby, Ernesto, Francine, Helene, Isaac and Kirk) and five named tropical storms (Alberto, Chris, Gordon, Joyce and Leslie).

tangent

The death toll from Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida’s Gulf Coast last Thursday, continues to rise. The storm hit Category 4 land and moved through Florida and Georgia before reaching eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, where it devastated a number of Appalachian cities. Asheville, North Carolina, a popular mountain tourism destination, was one of the hardest-hit communities. More than 50 people died in Asheville as flooding destroyed roads and knocked out power and water. More than 180 people have died in six southeastern states so far from the storm, making it the deadliest hurricane since Katrina. Hundreds are still missing. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden directed up to 1,000 active-duty troops to support the North Carolina National Guard in recovery efforts. About 1 million people were still without power in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia as of Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.US.

What you should pay attention to

Another named storm, Tropical Storm Leslie, has formed in the Atlantic and is currently located about 500 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Leslie is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane in the coming days, but there are currently no warnings, warnings, or threats of landfall.

Further reading

ForbesDid the Impact Plastics Factory in Tennessee ignore Hurricane Helene warnings? What you should know about government investigations.From Mary Whitfill Roeloffs
ForbesHurricane Helene’s devastation in North Carolina could disrupt the world’s semiconductor industry – here’s whyFrom Mary Whitfill Roeloffs