Hurricane Kirk, currently located in the center of the North Atlantic, which is moving towards northeastern Europe and has already become a powerful storm, is approaching the Galician coast where it will leave a strong storm, with very strong gusts of wind, and will affect a large part of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands.
According to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), Kirk is moving northeast at a speed of 48 kilometers per hour (km/h) and is associated with maximum sustained winds close to 120 km/h, category 1 on the scale of. Saffir-Simpson, who had a great impact on the European Atlantic coast, reports the Efe agency.
Although it is expected that in the next few hours weaken as it moves over colder waters and towards an environment less favorable to this type of cyclonesDue to uncertainty about the evolution and potential magnitude of impacts, according to Aemet, Kirk lost its tropical characteristics and became a powerful Atlantic extratropical storm.
The weather phenomenon will retain the Kirk name; and Tuesday and Wednesday, moving eastwards – passing through its center near the Galician coast and the Cantabrian Sea – it will leave a strong Atlantic storm on the Galician and Cantabrian coasts, with very strong gusts of wind in much of the peninsula, including locally hurricanes and widespread precipitation on the Atlantic and Cantabrian slopes.
Precipitation will extend over the northwestern third of the peninsula and is likely to be locally heavy and persistent in western Galicia and the central system.
This afternoon, Aemet activated the orange alert (significant risk) for storms or rain in Aragon.
From the early hours of Wednesday, a strong storm is expected on the Atlantic coasts of Galicia, with very strong winds from the south and southwest, of 8 or 9 on the Beaufort scale, according to Aemet, and a sea combined from the west with waves. 6 or 7 meters in significant height.
The storm will extend to the rest of the Cantabrian Sea, with westerly and sea winds combined with waves of around 4 or 5 meters.
Very strong gusts, coming from the south and southwest, are expected to extend over a good part of the peninsula, except in the Ebro valley, to the southwest of the peninsula and on the eastern coasts; It will blow with greater intensity in the northwest quadrant, with gusts of 80-100 km/h in the areas of the northern plateau and around 100 km/h in Galicia and the Cantabrian area, locally reaching 120 km/h in high areas of northern Galicia, the Cantabrian Sierra and the western Pyrenees.
Precipitation will extend across much of the peninsula, although it will be less likely in its eastern extremity and more intense and persistent in western Galicia and the western central system.
The storm that started Thursday
From Thursday the storm will move away towards the northeast and the wind is expected to decrease quickly, although it is likely that the storm will persist until dawn in the eastern Cantabrian Sea and gusts of strong or very strong winds from the west in the Mediterranean area.
The precipitation will tend to ease, although the Aemet warns that the quantities of rain accumulated during the episode in the western part of Galicia could be significant and will be added to those already fallen during previous episodes, c This is why caution is recommended against possible flooding. rivers and landslides.
Aemet recommends, due to the potential magnitude of impacts, to carefully monitor weather forecast updates.
