The hurricane isn't currently threatening anyone on land. That's a relief: Lee's maximum sustained winds are now predicted to top 160 mph by this weekend.
Hurricane Lee formed a well-defined eye wall on Thursday. The storm is seen here in a satellite image from around noon ET Thursday, showing the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico to the west.Hurricane Lee formed a well-defined eye wall on Thursday. The storm is seen here in a satellite image from around noon ET Thursday, showing the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico to the west.
Lee currently has maximum sustained winds of 105 mph and is over open water, following a west-northwest path that will likely see its center pass north of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, the National Hurricane Center said in itsLee is expected to become a major hurricane on Thursday — a designation for Category 3 storms and above. That means its sustained winds would roar at 111 mph on the same day that it developed a well-defined eye.
The hurricane center has repeatedly warned that Lee could become very powerful in an exceptionally short time. That guidance has now become even more dire, as the NHC said many forecasting tools"are calling for remarkable rates of intensification, beyond rates normally seen with model forecasts." The main question right now, the NHC says, is"how strong Lee will get, and how quickly will it get there."Hurricane Lee is forecast to be a major hurricane by the time its core passes north of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the next several days.Hurricane Lee is forecast to be a major hurricane by the time its core passes north of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the next several days.
"The potential for tropical storm conditions to occur in [the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico] is decreasing, but residents there should continue to monitor updates on Lee," the NHC said.It's too early to say with certainty whether Lee might make landfall anywhere, or if it will spin harmlessly away from the U.S. Atlantic coast and other land masses.
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