Weather forecasters have taken notice of Hurricane Lee as it travels west across the open waters of the Atlantic this week. It is simple to assume that the East Coast will be hit by a large storm with a forecast path that directly targets the United States. But as of Thursday night, that wasn’t the most likely scenario. Hurricane Lee has turned into a Category 5 storm!
Hurricane Lee Has Turned Into A Category 5 Storm!
The National Hurricane Centre reported that Hurricane Lee rapidly strengthened from Category 2 strength to Category 5 intensity with 160 mph winds in a few hours. Forecasters stated that the question is not if the rapid intensification will continue, but rather how strong the storm will get and how quickly it will do so.
The centre stated that current models are calling for remarkable intensification rates, beyond rates typically seen with model forecasts. Although Hurricane Lee’s intensity is anticipated to fluctuate over the coming days. In fact, Hurricane Lee is expected to remain a major storm through early next week.
In the meantime, Tropical Storm Margot developed over the eastern tropical Atlantic. South Florida is not currently in danger from the hurricane, which is expected to turn north.
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Puerto Rico, Haiti And Other Countries To be Affected
The National Hurricane Centre stated that Hurricane Lee’s swells may potentially be life-threatening when they hit the Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Bermuda this weekend.
The centre warned that there is a potential for tropical storm conditions to occur over the weekend on several of these islands. Robert Molleda, a forecaster with the National Weather Service Miami, stated that the hurricane is anticipated to shift north at some point over the coming few days.
The eastern limit of the Caribbean, the northern Leeward Islands, were 705 miles away from Lee as of 11 pm on Thursday. With maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, Lee was heading west-northwest at a speed of around 14 mph, a significant increase from 80 mph.
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Winds from Hurricane Lee may be felt up to 140 miles from its centre, while winds from a tropical storm could be felt up to 45 miles away.
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