The freshly formed Tropical Storm Leslie is heading in the direction of the East Coast as it intensifies, current National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts predict.
The storm, which currently has wind speeds of 40 mph, is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by Saturday.
Leslie (originally Tropical Depression Thirteen) was named after it intensified to tropical storm strength on Wednesday night, having formed in the Central Atlantic in the wake of Hurricane Kirk.
“Strengthening is anticipated, and Leslie is forecast to become a hurricane in a couple of days,” the NHC said in a public advisory. “A slow westward motion is expected through tonight, followed by a slightly faster west-northwestward motion Friday through Saturday.”
Leslie formed close behind Hurricane Kirk, which is now getting further and further away as it picks up speed. This increasing distance between the two storms may help Leslie strengthen into a hurricane, due to decreased wind shear.
“As the distance between Kirk and slow-moving Leslie grows, the wind shear over Leslie should diminish. This will provide a more conducive environment for the storm to steadily strengthen within a moist environment over warm waters,” the NHC said in a forecast discussion.
Hurricane Kirk, which is now at Category 3 strength with wind speeds of 120 mph, was originally forecast to head towards the U.S., but has since veered to the north and then the northeast, and is heading back across the Atlantic in the direction of Ireland and the U.K.
If Leslie follows the same veering path as Kirk, it may not strengthen as intensely as it might if it continues its current path toward the U.S.
