Sea travel between the Azorean islands of the Western Group (Flores and Corvo) and the Central Group (Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Graciosa, and Terceira) have been canceled due to the approach of Cyclone Kirk, Atlânticoline announced today.

“We have already canceled this afternoon’s trip on the Green Line, which would connect the islands of the Triangle [Faial, Pico and São Jorge], and for tomorrow [Tuesday], in the Western Group, the trip between Flores and Corvo has already been canceled,” Bruno Ferreira, operational manager of Atlânticoline, the maritime transport company for passengers and vehicles in the Azores, explained to the Press.

The Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA) warned today that tropical cyclone Kirk will pass north of the Azores archipelago as a tropical storm and will cause “worsening weather conditions on all the islands.”

In the Western (Flores and Corvo) and Central (Faial, Pico, Terceira, São Jorge, and Graciosa) groups, the IPMA predicts “sometimes heavy rainfall, which may be accompanied by thunderstorms, and an increase in the intensity of the wind and sea turbulence, from the end of the afternoon today.”

Gusts of up to 115 km/h and waves that could reach a significant height of 11 meters (maximum height of 19 meters) are forecast in the Western group”.

In the Central group, “gusts of up to 90 km/h and waves that could reach eight meters of significant height (15 meters of maximum height) are expected”.

For Tuesday’s Eastern group (São Miguel and Santa Maria), the IPMA predicts waves “that could reach six meters of significant height (12 meters of maximum height).”

Due to tropical cyclone Kirk’s passage through the Azores archipelago, the IPMA has issued a red warning for Tuesday for the islands of the Western group due to waves.

Orange and yellow warnings have also been issued for the Western, Central, and Eastern islands due to sea turbulence, wind, and sometimes heavy rain.

Meanwhile, the captaincy of the port of Horta has already decided to close the Madalena do Pico port bar to navigation between 06:00 and 12:00 on Tuesday (the most critical period of the storm’s passage through the Azores), which will force Atlânticoline to also cancel trips between the islands of Faial and Pico during this period.

As the cyclone approaches, the crews of the ships Gilberto Mariano and Mestre Jaime Feijó (moored in the port of Horta) will be on standby inside the two ferries during the early morning hours.

“It’s a regular procedure, whenever we feel it’s necessary, due to the weather conditions, and we adopt it in order to guarantee the safety of our vessels,” explained Bruno Ferreira.

Madalena Town Hall, on the island of Pico, has also announced that, as a precautionary measure, car traffic is closed on the roads along the coastline in Areia Larga, Criação Velha, Pocinho, and Calhau.

In Jornal das 9

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.