**Tropical Storm Kirk Forms in the Atlantic, Expected to Strengthen**

TAMPA, Fla. - As the southeastern United States still reels from Hurricane Helene, another weather system has emerged. Tropical Storm Kirk materialized on Monday morning, bringing sustained winds of 45 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center anticipates that Kirk will intensify into a hurricane by mid-week.

As of 9:35 a.m. on Monday, Tropical Storm Kirk was positioned at 13.5 N latitude and 34.4 W longitude, which places it roughly 700 miles from the Cabo Verde Islands.

Currently, Tropical Storm Kirk is not expected to threaten the U.S. According to forecasters, its projected path and development suggest it will become a hurricane later this week, but it will remain at a safe distance from American shores.

Meanwhile, another potential weather disturbance is brewing in the western Caribbean, showing a 40% chance of developing over the next week. Should this system enter the Gulf of Mexico and encounter its warm waters, it could strengthen further. FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg warns that this disturbance could bring heavy rainfall to the Bay Area by the latter part of the weekend and into next week.

"We just don't know how much or if this is going to develop into anything significant," Osterberg noted. "But it's something we're going to have to watch closely over the next few days."