Hurricane Lee is moving northwest and has rapidly intensified on Thursday, with the National Hurricane Center announcing that the storm is now a Category 4 hurricane. Despite this, no hurricane watch warnings have been issued yet.

According to CBS News, Hurricane Lee became a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday and then intensified to a Category 2 on Thursday morning. However, it quickly became much stronger and is now a Category 4 within just a few hours. The storm now has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as of writing.

Lee could get stronger, though, as forecasters predict that it could become a Category 5 hurricane, which is a potentially "catastrophic" storm. It intensified in the warmer waters in the Atlantic and may grow stronger the longer it makes its way in there.

"Lee is forecast to remain a powerful major hurricane well into next week," said the NHC. "Lee continues to strengthen at an exceptional rate."

Currently, while no hurricane watch has been placed yet, several countries in the Caribbean are already bracing themselves for possible impact.

Joe Biden Already Preparing In Case Hurricane Lee Hits Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

With Hurricane Lee continuing to strengthen and there being the chance that it might hit US territories and the mainland US itself, the US Federal Emergency Management Agency has given President Joe Biden its trajectory and is now preparing for the storm in case it does arrive.

The White House itself has noted that assets have already been deployed to US territories like the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, both of which are likely to be hit by this rapidly intensifying hurricane, per the Associated Press.

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Among the areas affected include the Lesser Antilles, the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. The storm is expected to impact these Caribbean countries and territories this weekend, says the NHC.

According to the National Weather Service, the Lesser Antilles is expected to experience life-threatening surf. 

"We will see waves between 10 and 15 feet (3 and 5 meters), so we don't want anyone on the beaches," Ernesto Morales of the NWS in Puerto Rico told the Associated Press.

The US might also be affected by these strong waves, with the NHC warning that dangerous surf and rip currents were forecast for most of the US East Coast. These are projected to begin on Sunday.

Will Hurricane Lee Hit the Mainland US?

With Hurricane Lee now being a Category 4, concerns are rising about whether or not it will make landfall in the mainland US. For now, there is a possibility that Lee might make landfall in the US mainland, but it should be noted that there is also a possibility that it might head north and hit Eastern Canada instead.

This all depends on the Bermuda High, an area of high pressure over the Atlantic that may push the storm further North, making it miss the US, or it may push it northwestward, making it hit the US.

Should the Bermuda High remain strong, it might push Lee into the US. However, should it weaken, it could push the storm into Canada instead.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Tracking the Tropics: Hurricane Lee rapidly intensifies to Category 4 intensity - 10 Tampa Bay