Hurricane Lee Track, Strength, Update: Which Countries Could the Potential Category 4 Impact?

A new weather disturbance has formed off the Atlantic and is headed to the US. It may soon become a Category 4 and will be called Hurricane Lee. For now, it is still only a tropical storm but Lee is expected to turn into a major hurricane by Friday and threaten the East Coast.

According to USA Today, once Tropical Storm Lee becomes Hurricane Lee, it will have an excess of 140 mph winds and is expected to make landfall in the US soon. The National Hurricane Center noted that it is currently over 1,300 miles east of the Caribbean islands but is heading to the US fast.

Forecasts predict that Lee will become a Category 4, which has 140-mph winds by Saturday morning. By then, it would be found east of Puerto Rico and continue strengthening into a 145-mph storm by Sunday.

The storm is expected to hit several countries, including the US.

"Interests across the Caribbean and along the East Coast from Florida to Maine will need to pay close attention to this feature," said meteorologist Brandon Buckingham. "Depending on the path this system takes, the expected time frame for potential impacts to the United States and Atlantic Canada may be Sept. 13-16."

Hurricane Lee Expected To Hit Several Caribbean Countries on Its Way to the US

Aside from the US, several countries in the Caribbean are also bracing for Hurricane Lee, which is estimated to reach the Lesser Antilles by this weekend. The Weather Channel noted that the storm is expected to pepper the northern Leeward Islands with gusty winds and showers.

However, it should also be noted that Lee could take a more southern track and hit other areas. Should it head to the Leewards Islands, though, it could also hit the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The latter is now continuing to "monitor the progress of this forecast closely and have their hurricane plans ready."

After that, the hurricane's path is difficult to predict, as its path would depend on how strong and expansive the Bermuda-Azores high is at the time, as it might steer Hurricane Lee to the tropics. If the Bermuda-Azores high is weaker and less expansive, it might head to the Central Atlantic and not even go to the mainland United States. If it is high and stronger, it could hit the mainland US by next week.

Should the hurricane recurve due to the Bermuda-Azores high being weaker, it could threaten Bermuda and parts of Atlantic Canada late next week.

Hurricane Lee Rapidly Intensifying

According to Vale Climate Connections, Tropical Storm Lee, which used to be called Tropical Depression 13, is rapidly intensifying. It currently has "favorable conditions for intensification, with warm waters of 29 degrees Celsius (84°F), moderate wind shear of 10-15 knots, and a reasonably moist atmosphere."

Right now, the most probable course of the hurricane is northward, but Lee hitting the US East Coast is still very much a big possibility.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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