Kirk reforms as tropical storm, gaining strength

MIAMI (AP) — Kirk has reformed as a tropical storm in the eastern Caribbean, and forecasters say it’s gaining strength.

The system was downgraded to a tropical depression earlier this week. But the National Hurricane Center says it has reorganized and is moving.

At 11 a.m. EDT, the center of Kirk was located about 360 miles (575 kilometers) east of Barbados. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was moving westward at 18 mph (kph).

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the islands of Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, Martinique and Guadeloupe. Forecasters say some spots could get as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain.

Kirk’s projected track shows it weakening into a tropical depression again along a path south of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cuba and Jamaica.