Hurricane Lee set to intensify significantly by Friday.
Hurricane Lee Poses New Threat to East Coast
Within two weeks of Hurricane Idalia tearing into Florida and moving up into Georgia and the Carolinas, another hurricane threatens the United States’s East Coast, with the National Hurricane Center warning that Hurricane Lee “is forecast to become an extremely dangerous major hurricane by Friday.”
The agency’s branch in Miami said on Tuesday night that no “direct impacts” to South Florida were expected at that time. If it does hit land, the storm appears more likely to wreak havoc in the eastern Caribbean, with the eye of the storm projected to hit just north of Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. However, storm paths can change quickly, and recovering from the effects of Idalia, Florida and even Carolina residents are concerned the newest hurricane could come for them.
Lee’s Strength and Potential Impact
As of the NHC’s most recent update late Wednesday night, Lee’s winds have increased to about 80 mph, and “additional strengthening is forecast,” with “rapid intensification expected to begin on Thursday.” The potential maximum wind speeds could reach 150 mph, putting the hurricane at the higher end of the Category 4 range, even possibly reaching Category 5 level, with winds at 157 mph or higher.
Swells in the Caribbean this weekend into early next week “are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” according to the NHC.
According to forecasters, the most likely scenario is that the storm turns north next week before it reaches the East Coast. But even if the storm misses the land directly, its currents could still have major impacts on the coastline.
The Atlantic Ocean currently faces record-warm temperatures, which is only exacerbating the threat of Hurricane Lee. “To get to Category 4 or 5 intensity the environment has to be nearly perfect, which it looks like is the forecast for Lee,” David Zierden, Florida’s state climatologist, said, per CNN.
The severe weather threat comes in the wake of Hurricane Idalia, which slammed into Florida’s “Big Bend” last week. The storm had additional bizarre ramifications, such as flamingos, typically found in the Caribbean, being spotted in unusual spots in the storm’s aftermath, including as far north as the greater Cincinnati area in Ohio.
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