Kirk becomes a hurricane: Experts predict that it will continue to gain strength.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced that Kirk is now a hurricane and there are favorable conditions for it to strengthen.

The 5:00 AM AST (9:00 UTC) report on Wednesday, October 2, placed the center of Hurricane Kirk near latitude 17.5 degrees north and longitude 42.1 degrees west, about 1,200 miles (1,930 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands and 1,280 miles (2,060 km) east of the Lesser Antilles.

Hurricane Kirk is moving northwest at a speed of 14 mph (22 km/h). This trajectory does not affect either Cuba or Florida, and it is expected to maintain this course over the next few days.

The sustained maximum winds of Hurricane Kirk have increased to 80 mph (130 km/h), with more intense gusts.

The NHC forecasts that the cyclone will continue to gain strength and could become a major hurricane this Thursday.

At the moment, no coastal alerts or warnings have been issued. However, meteorologists continue to closely monitor its progress.