MIAMI – Waves from Hurricane Kirk could create life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the U.S. East Coast as well as in Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas this weekend, forecasters said.

Kirk is a Category 3 storm in the central Atlantic and could continue to strengthen but is expected to stay away from land, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said on Thursday.

Waves caused by Kirk were expected to reach parts 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.

There were no coast guards or warnings. The severe hurricane occurred about 1,130 miles east of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Leslie formed in the eastern Atlantic late Wednesday and could strengthen into a hurricane in the coming days, forecasters said. It was also not yet seen as a threat to the country.

The storm was located about 540 miles southwest of the southernmost tip of the Cabo Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, the center said.

The storms raged in the Atlantic as rescuers searched for missing people in the southeastern United States after Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving a trail of deaths and catastrophic damage.