Hurricane Lee now a Category 5 storm.
Hurricane Lee: A Category 5 Storm
Hurricane Lee has made its mark as the first Category 5 storm of the Atlantic season, as reported by the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Currently, Hurricane Lee is moving west-northwest at a speed of 14 mph (22 km/h). As of 11 p.m. AST, it was positioned approximately 705 miles (1,135 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean.
Initially forming over the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Lee emerged approximately 1,300 miles east of the Leeward Islands. It began as a Category 1 storm at 5 a.m. AST on Thursday but rapidly intensified to a Category 4 storm by 5 p.m. AST, with maximum sustained winds reaching 130 mph.
The NHC stated in its 5 p.m. AST advisory, “Lee continues to strengthen at an exceptional rate.”
In the 11 p.m. advisory, the center predicted “additional strengthening overnight.” It also mentioned that while fluctuations in intensity are expected in the coming days, Hurricane Lee is anticipated to remain a major hurricane through early next week.
The NHC highlighted in its forecast discussion that ”remarkable rates of intensification” are projected for Hurricane Lee, surpassing typical model forecasts.
Although Hurricane Lee is not expected to make landfall near the northeast Caribbean, the NHC emphasized the importance of remaining vigilant as the storm’s core bypasses the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico in the coming days.
Furthermore, Hurricane Lee is expected to create “dangerous beach conditions” along the western Atlantic through early next week.
Starting Friday, the Leeward Islands will likely experience dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents. These conditions will gradually extend westward and northward, affecting Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and Bermuda over the weekend.
“We will see waves between 10 and 15 feet (3 and 5 meters), so we don’t want anyone on the beaches,” warned Ernesto Morales from the National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The impact and aftermath of Hurricane Lee on regions like the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda by the end of next week remain uncertain. However, due to the projected deceleration of the hurricane over the southwestern Atlantic, caution is advised, and people should prepare for dangerous surf and rip conditions along most of the U.S. East Coast starting from Sunday.
Prior to the storm’s arrival, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed resources to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, working closely with local officials, according to the Biden administration.
Hurricane Lee follows closely on the heels of Hurricane Idalia, which struck Florida’s Big Bend area as a Category 3 storm, resulting in extensive flooding and damage.
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