ORLANDO, Fla. -- A hurricane hunter aircraft flew into Tropical Storm Kirk Wednesday evening and found it had weakened slightly.
- Watches and warnings issued for Lesser Antilles
- Remnants of Leslie expected to reform far in Atlantic
- TRACKING THE TROPICS: Watches, warnings, forecasts, spaghetti models
It is located about 170 miles east of Barbados and 295 miles east-southeast of Martinique and is moving to the west-northwest at 16 mph.
Tropical Storm warnings and watches have been issued for portions of the Lesser Antilles.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for…
- Barbados
- St. Lucia
- Dominica
- Martinique
- Guadeloupe
A tropical storm watch is in effect for…
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Kirk is expected to approach Barbados and the northern Windward Islands Thursday afternoon and move into the eastern Caribbean Sea by Friday morning. This storm does not pose a threat to Florida.
Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center, and tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the warning area by Thursday afternoon.
Little change in strength is forecast until Kirk moves through the Central Lesser Antilles Thursday afternoon and evening. Rapid weakening is expected on Friday after this storm enters the Caribbean.
Kirk is expected to produce total rainfall of 4-6” with higher totals of 10” across the northern Windward and southern Leeward Islands from Barbados and St. Lucia northward across Martinique, Dominica, and Guadeloupe. These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides on the islands.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic, the remnants of Leslie are expected to reorganize and take on subtropical or tropical characteristics Thursday as it meanders over the north-central Atlantic. This low is no threat to land.
