Hurricane Lee -- the most intense of the 2023 Atlantic basin hurricane season so far -- is powering forward, moving west-northwestward on a track that keeps it away from the Caribbean islands.
On Friday, it was a Category 5 that weakened to a Category 3 and was forecast to pass north of the northern Leeward Islands this weekend.
As of Friday night, Lee had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and was set to weaken to a Category 2 and turn to the northern Atlantic and away from Florida.
Lee rapidly intensified from a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday afternoon (5 p.m.) with winds of 75 mph to a Category 5 by Thursday night (11p.m.), attaining maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.
Thankfully, the core of Hurricane Lee is expected to maintain distance from the Caribbean islands. However, it will not pass unnoticed.
The vigorous, major hurricane will continue to whip up waves, creating swells that are likely to cause dangerous surf and rip currents. The National Hurricane Center notes that these conditions will be spreading across the Northern Caribbean and will affect Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Bermuda through the weekend.
The east coast of the United States should expect such conditions starting Sunday.
Forecast models continue to show that an eventual northward turn over the western Atlantic should keep Hurricane Lee away from Florida.
This change in trajectory would happen, perhaps by Wednesday of next week, as high pressure currently steering Lee west-northwestward weakens and a trough over the eastern United States starts to influence the steering of the storm.
Hurricane Lee will remain a “don’t dismiss” system well into next week. Bermuda, the east coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada will need to monitor the progress and future track of the storm.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic, there is another reminder that the peak of the season is here. Tropical Storm Margot formed Thursday afternoon over the eastern Atlantic. It is forecast to become a hurricane next week and remain over water.