Tropical Storm Kirk was the second lowest-

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

tropical storm on record in the Atlantic basin. The eleventh

named storm Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...

of the

2018 Atlantic hurricane season The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season was the third in a consecutive series of above–average and damaging Atlantic hurricane seasons dating back to 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, 2016, featuring 15 tropical cyclone naming, named storms, 8 hurri ...

, Kirk originated from a

tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...

that left Africa on September 20 and organized into a tropical depression two days later. The system intensified into Tropical Storm Kirk early on September 22 but quickly degenerated into a tropical wave again early the next day. A reduction in the disturbance's forward speed allowed it to regain tropical storm intensity on September 26. Kirk reached

maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a certain distance from the center, known as the radius of ma ...

s of that morning before increasing westerly

wind shear Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...

caused the cyclone to steadily weaken. The storm made

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

with winds of before continuing into the Caribbean Sea. Kirk degenerated to a tropical wave again on September 28, and its remnants continued westward, contributing to the formation of

Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make ...

ten days later. Kirk passed narrowly north of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, where tropical storm-force winds cut power to multiple neighborhoods and caused property damage at the official residence of the Governor-General. Rainfall in excess of flooded structures and vehicles, prompting 11 emergency water rescues. In

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...

, rough seas caused

coastal flooding Coastal flooding occurs when dry and low-lying land is submerged (flooded) by seawater. The range of a coastal Flood, flooding is a result of the elevation of floodwater that penetrates the inland which is controlled by the topography of the coas ...

and led to the presumed deaths of two fishermen after they ventured out during the storm. On

, strong winds destroyed two buildings; additional structures, including schools and the anemometer at the

Hewanorra International Airport Hewanorra International Airport , located near Vieux Fort Quarter, Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean, is the larger of Saint Lucia's two airports and is managed by the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA). It is on the southern cape of t ...

, sustained damage. About 2,000

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

s on a poultry farm were killed following the collapse of their pens, and about 80–90% of the island's banana crop was left in ruin. The combination of winds and

landslides Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslide ...

prompted widespread power outages. Lesser impacts were felt on

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

, where winds damaged trees and cut power to about 3,000 homes.

Meteorological history

A low-latitude

departed the western coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

late on September 20 and moved rapidly west-northwest. After two days of sporadic

convective Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convec ...

development, it acquired sufficient organization to be declared a tropical depression by the

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...

(NHC) around 06:00

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

on September 22 to the south of

Cabo Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

. Six hours later, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Kirk at 8.1°N, representing the second lowest-latitude tropical storm on record in the Atlantic; only the third storm of the 1902 hurricane season formed farther south. A

subtropical ridge The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges or highs. It is a high-pressur ...

to the north of the newly formed cyclone expanded westward, directing the system in the same direction. Kirk became less organized over the next day as a large band of convection, similar to an

outflow boundary An outflow boundary, also known as a gust front, is a storm-scale or mesoscale meteorology, mesoscale boundary separating thunderstorm-cooled air (Outflow (meteorology), outflow) from the surrounding air; similar in effect to a cold front, with ...

, propagated away from the center into the northwestern quadrant. This cloud pattern suggested the entrainment of mid-level dry air. The hostile environment caused Kirk to degenerate into a tropical wave by 12:00 UTC on September 23. Even after degeneration, the storm's remnants continued to produce a large area of showers and thunderstorms, along with

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .

-force winds in the northern quadrant. By September 26, the forward motion of the remnants slowed, allowing convection to coalesce about a new well-defined center. The NHC accordingly re-initiated Kirk as a tropical storm around 00:00 UTC on September 26 about 520

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

s (835 km) east-southeast of

. By the morning hours, Kirk's presentation had evolved to feature a strong

central dense overcast The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...

with few banding features. Satellite intensity estimates were used to assign a peak intensity of at 12:00 UTC through 18:00 UTC on September 26. Thereafter, the cyclone's presentation morphed into a comma-shaped appearance, with the center at times partially exposed on the western edge of this convection due to increasing westerly

. Kirk temporarily moved west-northwest, passing just north of Barbados, before banking west-southwest under the dominant steering regime of a ridge in the western Atlantic. It struck

as a tropical storm around 00:30 UTC on September 30 and entered the Caribbean, where the storm resumed a west-northwest course while continuing to lose strength. By 00:00 UTC on September 29, after a

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...

was unable to locate a well-defined and closed center, the NHC downgraded Kirk to a tropical wave again while it was positioned a few hundred miles south of the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

. The remnants continued into the western Caribbean, where they were absorbed by a large area of disturbed weather by October 2 and contributed to the formation of

Preparations

At 09:00 UTC on September 26, tropical storm warnings were raised for Barbados and Saint Lucia, accompanied by tropical storm watches for

. Three hours later, additional tropical storm warnings were issued for

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

, and

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

. At 12:00 UTC on September 28, all tropical storm warnings were discontinued; three hours later, all watches were discontinued as well. In advance of the storm system,

LIAT LIAT 2020 Limited, operating as LIAT20, or simply LIAT, is an airline of Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda ...

Caribbean Airlines Caribbean Airlines Limited is the state-owned airline and flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. Headquartered in Iere House in Piarco, the airline operates flights to the Caribbean, North America and South America from its base at P ...

, and

Air Antilles Air Antilles is a French regional airline based at Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport in Guadeloupe. It operates scheduled and seasonal services throughout the French Antilles. History The airline began operations as ''Air Antilles Expre ...

canceled or rescheduled numerous flights between Caribbean destinations. Schools were closed on September 27 and 28 in Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, and Guadeloupe. In Dominica, all 113 hurricane shelters were opened from September 26–28, and businesses were closed on September 27. Water service was temporarily suspended there as a precaution.

Impact

Barbados

Kirk produced sustained winds of , gusting to , on Barbados as it passed within of the island. Rainfall in excess of caused extensive flooding of streets and homes, peaking on the night of September 27–28 on the back end of the storm system. In some parts of Christ Church, floodwaters rose to in depth, forcing some motorists to abandon their cars. In total, 11 individuals in

Saint Philip Saint Philip, São Filipe, or San Felipe may refer to: Saints * Philip the Apostle (died 54 or 80), one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ * Philip the Evangelist (died first century), also known as Philip the Deacon, one of the Seventy Disci ...

, Christ Church, and Bridgetown required emergency water rescue by the

Barbados Defence Force The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) is the name given to the combined armed forces of Barbados. The BDF was established 15 August 1979, and has responsibility for the territorial defence and internal security of the island. The Headquarters for the ...

. The

Barbados Light and Power Company The Barbados Light & Power Company Limited (BL&P Co.) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera Caribbean and currently the sole electricity utility provider in the country of Barbados. It started operations on 17 June 1911. The company claims it ...

reported power cuts in multiple neighborhoods. Kirk also damaged a stone wall on the property of the

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

. About 40 of the 110 buses owned by

Barbados Transport Board The Barbados Transport Board (BTB) is a public transportation authority of the Government of Barbados, government of Barbados. The BTB operates numerous fixed-route bus lines service through much of the country. The BTB's headquarters are located ...

were removed from service to allow for repairs of water-related damage incurred while driving through flooded streets. This contributed to long delays for commuters in the following days. A stretch of beach on the south coast was closed until the evening of October 1 so the

sluice gate A sluice ( ) is a water channel containing a sluice gate, a type of lock to manage the water flow and water level. There are various types of sluice gates, including flap sluice gates and fan gates. Different depths are calculated when design s ...

that regulates the Graeme Hall Swamp could be opened to release excess rainwater. In the immediate aftermath of the flooding,

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Mia Mottley Mia "Ma" Amor Mottley, (born 1 October 1965) is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as the eighth prime minister of Barbados since 2018 and as Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the first woman to h ...

toured the hardest-hit communities with a team of government officials to assess the situation. On October 19, the government of Barbados received an insurance payout of about Bds$11.6 million (

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

5.8 million) from CCRIF SPC to cover flood damage.

Windward Islands

Heavy rainfall and resultant river flooding also affected northeastern Saint Vincent, with precipitation totals exceeding . Coastal flooding due to high surf forced three families to evacuate their homes in New Sandy Bay Village and seek shelter in a public school. Two fishermen disappeared and were presumed dead after they ignored weather advisories set out from

Canouan Canouan () is an island in the Grenadines. It is a small island, measuring only and has a surface of 7.6 km2. It lies approximately south of the island of St. Vincent. The population is about 1,700. A barrier reef runs along the Atlant ...

during the storm. Strong winds, sustained at and gusting to , brought down trees and power lines on Saint Lucia, disrupting power and communications services to hundreds of homes. Some additional power outages were caused by minor

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

s. Electric service was fully restored by late on September 30, after crews completed repairs that included replacing broken utility poles. Several buildings were damaged and at least two were destroyed; schools sustained an estimated EC$1.2 million (US$440,000) in damage. The strong winds also destroyed an

anemometer In meteorology, an anemometer () is a device that measures wind speed and direction. It is a common instrument used in weather stations. The earliest known description of an anemometer was by Italian architect and author Leon Battista Alberti ...

. Following the storm, the Saint Lucia Red Cross provided blankets,

tarpaulin A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinf ...

s, and other emergence supplies to households impacted by Kirk. Agricultural interests took a hard hit, particularly in northern parts of the island; many banana fields were ravaged, leading to an 80–90% loss of that crop on the island. In

Babonneau Babonneau is one of the regions of the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. Babonneau is located in the north of the island in the Castries Quarter. There are extensive rain forests in the region, which is an important source of fresh wat ...

, some 2,000 chickens on a poultry farm were killed when their pens collapsed. In some cases, farmers were not covered under their insurance plans because Kirk fell just below intensity thresholds stipulated for tropical cyclone compensation.

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

International Cooperation and Development Fund International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(ICDF) contributed EC$1.4 million (US$518,000) in relief funds to be distributed among 108 farmers on Saint Lucia. This donation marked the beginning of the Banana Productivity Improvement Project, a joint program between the ICDF and the Saint Lucia government to support and educate farmers. For instance, it was observed that banana farms shielded by

windbreak A windbreak (shelterbelt) is a planting usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion. They are commonly planted in hedgerows around the ed ...

s fared much better during Tropical Storm Kirk than exposed fields, so with additional ICDF funding, thousands of

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

trees were planted as barriers against future wind storms, and growers were counseled on how to care for the trees. Gusty winds extended northward to Martinique; weather stations at standard elevation recorded sustained winds of , gusting to . One station at higher elevation observed a peak gust to . The winds damaged trees and cut power to 3,000 homes, mostly in

Le Robert Le Robert (; ) is a town and the third-largest commune in the French overseas department of Martinique. It is located in the northeastern (Atlantic) side of the island of Martinique. It contains the Sainte Rose-de-Lima church, Club Nautique Wi ...

, Sainte-Marie, Gros-Morne, and

Le Morne-Vert Le Morne-Vert () is a village and commune in the French overseas department of Martinique. Euroleague champion basketball player Mathias Lessort was raised in Le Morne-Vert. See also *Communes of the Martinique department The following is a ...

communes, and the capital city of

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-Fra ...

. In Saint-Esprit, a sports complex sustained roof damage that required two days of expedited work to repair. Some residents of

Le Prêcheur Le Prêcheur (; ) is a village and commune in the French overseas department, region and island of Martinique. Asthon Tardon (1882-1944), father of Manon Tardon, was mayor of the community; their family's estate was at Anse Couleuvre.MAUVOIS, ...

had to flee a dangerous

lahar A lahar (, from ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of Pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a valley, river valley. Lahars are o ...

triggered by heavy rains. During his four-day tour of the

French West Indies The French West Indies or French Antilles (, ; ) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloupe, including the islands of Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Les Saintes, Ma ...

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

canceled a planned visit to Fort-de-France in response to the storm. Guadeloupe experienced lighter winds but more significant rainfall than Martinique, with precipitation totals reaching at

Petit-Bourg Petit-Bourg (; , ) is the seventh-largest Communes of France, commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. It is located on the east side of the island of Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, and is part of the metropolitan area of Pointe- ...

Elsewhere

After Kirk dissipated, its remnants interacted with a

trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

of low pressure to produce showers and thunderstorms across

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

that prompted the dissemination of flash flood watches.

References

External links

NHC Tropical Storm Kirk Advisory Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk (2018) 2018 Atlantic hurricane season Atlantic tropical storms Hurricanes in the Windward Islands

Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning 'church'. The term ''the Kirk'' is often used informally to refer specifically to the Church of Scotland, the Scottish national church that developed from the 16th-century Reformation ...