Hurricane Kirk path: Will the NYC area be impacted by the storm? LIVE updates

NEW YORK CITY - Hurricane Kirk is forecast to strengthen over the central tropical Atlantic, and large swells could reach the East Coast by Sunday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

JUMP TO: LOCATION l PROJECTED PATH l IMPACTS

***Click each headline to jump to the designated topic.

Maximum sustained winds from the Category 3 hurricane are at 120 mph with higher gusts. The storm is expected to continue strengthening into a Category 4 or stronger hurricane by Thursday.

Here’s everything you need to know about Hurricane Kirk, including its location, projected path and potential impacts to the East Coast.

Hurricane Kirk tracker: Where is the storm?

The latest stats and info on Hurricane Kirk. (FOX Weather)

Kirk is located in the central tropical Atlantic more than 1,185 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.

Hurricane Kirk projected path: What is the forecast?

The NHC said Kirk is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue through early Friday. A turn toward the north and north-northeast at a faster forward speed is forecast over the weekend.

The forecast track for Hurricane Kirk. (FOX Weather)

Thankfully, the FOX Forecast Center said a break in the Bermuda high will allow the hurricane to move north and stay in the open Atlantic.

What are the impacts of Hurricane Kirk?

Swells generated by Kirk are spreading westward and are expected to reach portions of the Leeward Islands on Friday, Bermuda and the Greater Antilles on Saturday, and the U.S. East Coast and the Bahamas on Sunday, the NHC said.

The swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Heather Brinkmann and Emilee Speck, with FOX Weather, helped contribute to this report.