Kirk, reformed as tropical storm, gains strength

MIAMI – Forecasters say Tropical Storm Kirk is gaining strength in the eastern Caribbean.

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

At 5 p.m. EDT, the centre of Kirk was located about 260 miles (415 kilometres) east of Barbados. It had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) and was moving westward at 18 mph (30 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 centimetres) 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.