Tropical Depression Predicted To Turn Into Major Hurricane Days After Helene

Still working on cleaning up Hurricane Helene, a tropical depression is predicted to turn into a major hurricane in the coming days.

National Hurricane Center map of Tropical Depression Twelve (main) and NOAA/CIRA satellite image of the storm system (inset). This storm is expected to become a major hurricane in the coming days. / Mandatory Credit - National Hurricane Center NHC / CIRA/NOAA

Hurricane Helene has caused damage to the extent that some people have never seen in the southeast portion of the United States. Clean-up efforts are going to take a while, as it will be a long and difficult road back for some people.

They won’t have much time to recover from Helene before dealing with another potentially devastating storm.

Tropical Depression Twelve is a storm that has been growing out over the Atlantic Ocean. It is projected to become a major hurricane by the end of the week and will be named Kirk.

Close to tropical storm strength already, and moving across the Central Atlantic, the East Coast of the United States will be in its path once again.

"Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. Steady strengthening is forecast, and the depression is likely to become a hurricane by Tuesday night or Wednesday," the National Hurricane Center said in a public advisory on Monday morning, per Jess Thompson of Newsweek.

The storm is currently located about 630 miles west-southwest of the Cabo-Verde Islands, per the center. If the projections are correct and it reaches hurricane status, that means some areas along the coast will have been hit twice by such a storm in just about a week.

"Conditions are quite favorable along the path of the depression with 29 degree C [84.2 F] sea-surface temperatures, a moist environment, and weak vertical wind shear. Given the weak shear and the gradually improving structure, the cyclone should begin to steadily intensify soon. The depression is forecast to become a hurricane in 36 to 48 hours and a major hurricane in about 4 days," the NHC said in a forecast discussion.

Forecasters are not sure where Kirk will make landfall if it does at all. K is next up for names after Tropical Storm Isaac and Tropical Storm Joyce were both named following Helene. Isaac was a past hurricane that is Eastbound while Joyce has dropped back to a tropical depression.

Alas, even just the outer rings of the storm dropping more rain in the area would be devastating after Hurricane Helene reached Category 4 and caused “Biblical flooding” in some areas. It is tough to imagine what anymore rain would do to an already battered region.

The death toll has reached nearly triple-digits already and is only expected to climb. Hundreds of people are still missing, as search and rescue teams have been deployed throughout several states. 

Aid is being provided by the administration of President Joe Biden where possible and emergency supplies are being airlifted into isolated areas, such as Asheville, North Carolina, where at least 30 people have died in the county.