Powerful Hurricane Kirk is on track to impact Europe as a massive post-tropical cyclone

Hurricane Kirk continues to strengthen over the central tropical Atlantic and all indications are that it will continue to develop into a large and powerful Category 4 storm.

Parts of northwestern Europe are on alert for a significant storm system originating in the tropical Atlantic.

Hurricane Kirk, the 11th named storm of the 2024 hurricane season, reached Category 4 storm status on Thursday. However, it will ultimately target places like the United Kingdom and France, which are experiencing heavy rainfall, rough seas and damaging wind gusts.

Forecast models show impacts beginning late next workweek as the storm system loses its heat source from the warm Atlantic and becomes known as a post-tropical cyclone.

A post-tropical storm system is a cyclone that has lost its tropical characteristics but still has significant organization to produce heavy rainfall and strong winds.

Powerful Hurricane Kirk on October 3, 2024

(FOX Weather)

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Kirk will miss North America, but will still have some impact

Kirk began its path in the Central Atlantic on September 29 and quickly strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane a few days later.

The FOX Forecast Center says that due to the alignment of the subtropical ridge and a significant low point, the hurricane will bypass areas such as Bermuda, the Bahamas and the United States as it moves north to northeast from the tropics.

Due to the size of the hurricane, with damaging winds extending nearly 200 miles outward, the National Hurricane Center warns that waves could eventually reach the East Coast, although the hurricane is expected to remain hundreds of miles from North America.

Direct impacts will be limited to Europe once the hurricane transitions into a post-tropical system.

Forecast models show up to 5 inches of rain will be possible from Kirk's remnants, plus wind gusts could reach hurricane strength as the core of the system approaches Europe next week.

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Prediction models for Kirk
(FOX Weather)

Remnants could challenge records from previous hurricanes

According to forecast models, Kirk's remnants could surpass some records of storm systems that formed as hurricanes.

Hurricane Ophelia in 2017 was considered one of the worst storms to hit the United Kingdom in decades, with multiple deaths and damage totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

Met Éireann, the national weather service for Ireland, reported that the storm system produced winds of more than 70 miles per hour and heavy rainfall.

Many trees were damaged and even an awning at a football stadium in Cork City collapsed during the storm.

Despite the damage, the name “Ophelia” was not removed from the naming lists by the World Meteorological Organization.

Hurricane names are retired when use of the identification would be considered insensitive due to property damage and significant loss of life.