Kirk Bringing Strong Wind, Heavy Rain To Lesser Antilles; St. Croix Expected To Be Soaked This Weekend

Tropical Storm Kirk continues to hold its 50 mile-per-hour wind speed and will bring heavy wind and rainfall to the Lesser Antilles tonight, the National Hurricane Center (N.H.C.) said this afternoon.

St. Croix and Puerto Rico are expected to see 2 to 4 inches of rain with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches by Friday and Saturday, according to N.H.C.’s 5:00 p.m. advisory.

Currently, Dominica, St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Barbados are under tropical storm warning. St. Vincent and the Grenadines remain under tropical storm watch.

According to N.H.C.’s 5:00 p.m. advisory, the center of Tropical Storm Kirk was located near latitude 14.2 North, longitude 60.2 West. Kirk is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h). A west- northwestward to westward motion is expected over the next couple of days. On the forecast track, the center of Kirk will move across the Lesser Antilles within the Tropical Storm Warning area this evening.

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected before Kirk moves through the Lesser Antilles. Gradual weakening is anticipated during the next couple of days while the system moves over the eastern Caribbean Sea. Kirk is forecast to become a tropical depression Friday night, and degenerate into a trough of low pressure by Sunday.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km) primarily to the east of the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 mb (29.53 inches).

Hazards to land

Wind: Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in portions of the warning area this evening. Tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area in a few hours. Locally higher winds are possible atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains.

Rainfall: Kirk is expected to produce total rainfall of 4 to 6 inches across the northern Windward and southern Leeward Islands with isolated maximum totals up to 10 inches across Martinique and Dominica. These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. Across Saint Croix and eastern Puerto Rico, Kirk is expected to bring 2 to 4 inches with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches by Friday and Saturday.