NORFOLK, Va. — Coastal Virginia and North Carolina should expect increased ocean swells and high rip current risks later this weekend and early next week due to activity in the tropical Atlantic.
Hurricane Kirk is a very powerful storm spinning in the central Atlantic. It joins Beryl and Helene as the third major hurricane of the season. While this system will stay far, far off to the east of Hampton Roads, there's an impact that we should expect to see along the East Coast: increased swells and wave activity.
At Friday's 11 a.m. update, Kirk was a "Major Hurricane" with sustained winds of 140 mph, gusting to 165 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane. With that much wind energy, you can imagine how rough the ocean is near the center of the storm.
The hurricane is generating large swells that will continue to move out from the system.
Some of the swells will move westward, impacting Bermuda and eventually the East Coast of the United States.
For Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, we will likely see increased swell from Kirk starting Sunday and continuing into Monday and Tuesday. After that, the increased wave activity should subside.
We have a moderate threat of rip currents at Virginia Beach, and a high threat on the Outer Banks Friday. Later this weekend, the rip current threat is expected to be elevated with the increased swell. The activity may also cause some beach erosion, and some ocean over wash along the Outer Banks is possible.
Residents along the coast should be mindful of these increased threats.
Stay tuned for updates from the 13News Now Weather Team throughout the weekend and early next week.
