Hurricane Lee is expected to strengthen in the coming days, the National Hurricane Center said on Sunday.
Screenshot courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Society/NPR
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Screenshot courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Society/NPR
Hurricane Lee is expected to strengthen in the coming days, the National Hurricane Center said on Sunday.
Screenshot courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Society/NPR
Hurricane Lee, a powerful Category 3 storm, will move north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands over the next two days, the National Hurricane Center said. But the hurricane is strengthening and could bring dangerous surf conditions along much of the U.S. East Coast beginning Sunday.
The hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, is already causing life-threatening rip currents to affect parts of the Lesser Antilles, British and Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas. and Bermuda, forecasters said Sunday evening.
Dangerous surf conditions have begun to hit parts of the southeastern East Coast and are forecast to worsen over much of the East Coast over the next two days and spread northward, the center said.
Later this week, Lee is expected to swing west of Bermuda, and forecasters say it could bring wind, rain and high tides to the island, but it’s too early to determine the exact timing and extent of those impacts.
However, there were no coastal watches or warnings in effect for Hurricane Lee at the time.
Lee’s forecast has fluctuated wildly in recent days. It quickly reached Category 5 strength before being downgraded early Saturday, the highest water temperature ever recorded in the Atlantic. The cyclone picked up wind speed on Sunday and is expected to strengthen further on Monday and Tuesday with some fluctuations, the center said.
A Category 3 storm, considered a major hurricane, can cause devastating damage to well-built homes, uproot trees and cut power and water supplies for days.
“It is too early to know what level of impacts Lee may have on the East Coast and Atlantic Canada next weekend, especially as the hurricane is expected to weaken significantly over the southwest Atlantic,” the center said. 5pm ET advisory on Sunday.
