...KIRK STRENGTHENS INTO A CATEGORY 4 MAJOR HURRICANE... ...LARGE SWELLS COULD REACH THE U.S. EAST COAST BY SUNDAY... As of 5:00 PM AST Thu Oct 3 the center of Kirk was located near 21.1, -46.7 with movement NW at 12 mph. The minimum central pressure was 945 mb with maximum sustained winds of about 130 mph.