Hurricane Lee has reverted to a major Category 3 hurricane and is expected to gain some strength this week in the Atlantic Ocean while the National Hurricane Center monitors Tropical Storm Margot and two other systems with a chance of developing.
As of 11 a.m. Monday, Lee was located about 365 miles north of the Northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean and 615 miles south of Bermuda and moving northwest at 8 mph with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and higher gusts. Its hurricane-force winds extend up to 75 miles, and its tropical storm-force winds extend up to 185 miles.
“A slow west-northwest to northwest movement is expected over the next couple of days, followed by a northward shift by midweek,” forecasters said. “On the forecast track, Lee is expected to pass near Bermuda, but to the west, within a few days.”
Bermuda lies within the cone of uncertainty but is not yet subject to any monitoring or warnings. However, Lee’s Ocean waves are expected to threaten conditions along the US coast including Florida today after already spilling across the Atlantic Ocean to hit parts of the Lesser Antilles, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas and Bermuda.
“These waves are likely to cause life-threatening waves and disrupt existing conditions,” meteorologists said. “Dangerous waves and rip currents have begun
These conditions are affecting portions of the southeastern U.S. coast, and these conditions are expected to spread north along the U.S. east coast over the next couple of days.
tornado #for me He was revived back to Class 3 power with a renewed eye. Lee is currently creeping west-northwest, and is still expected to turn north and stay offshore of the East Coast of the United States, but dangerous surf currents and rip currents are expected as Lee heads north and grows in size. pic.twitter.com/m7wshllWBA
– UW-Madison CIMSS (@UWCIMSS) September 10, 2023
Intensity forecasts have the system growing to a Category 4 with sustained winds of 130 mph and gusts of 160 mph later Monday and remaining a major hurricane through Wednesday. Last week’s erratic storm grew in less than half a day from a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds to a Category 5 with 160 mph winds, reaching 165 mph winds 12 hours later before dropping back down to Category 2 and now growing again. .
Its path could bring Hurricane Lee’s wind field to bear on Bermuda, followed by an uncertain track that could threaten the northeastern US states or Canada.
“It is still too early to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee may have along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada late this week, especially since the hurricane is expected to slow significantly over the southwestern Atlantic,” meteorologists said. .
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Margot is moving north over the open subtropical Atlantic Ocean.
At 11 a.m., Margot’s center was located about 1,245 miles northwest of the Cape Verde Islands and moving north at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Its tropical storm force winds extend 105 miles.
“This general movement is expected to continue over the next few days,” meteorologists said. “Margot is expected to become a hurricane late today and…
“It could strengthen further over the next few days.”
This will make Hurricane Margot the fifth hurricane of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season after Don, Franklin, Idalia, and Lee.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center was tracking two systems that have a chance of forming into the season’s next tropical depression or storm. If either of them reaches named storm status, they could become Tropical Storm Nigel followed by Tropical Storm Ophelia next.
The most likely occurrence between the two this week is a tropical wave in the far eastern tropical Atlantic that moved off the coast of West Africa on Sunday, bringing some unorganized rain and thunderstorms.
“Environmental conditions appear to be favorable for the gradual development of this system during the latter part of the week, and a tropical depression is possible
Forecasters said winds were building by the end of the week as they moved west-northwest at 15 to 20 mph over the central tropical Atlantic.
The NHC gives it a 60% chance of developing in the next seven days.
A closer system, but with fewer chances, is in the eastern tropical Atlantic several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands with limited, disorganized rainfall and thunderstorm activity.
“Further development of this system is becoming increasingly unlikely before it merges with a tropical wave to its east over the next two days,” meteorologists said.
The NHC gives it a 10% chance of forming within the next two to seven days.
The 2023 season runs from June 1 to November. 30 has already produced 13 named storms.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest hurricane outlook, updated in August, increased its outlook for an above-average season, anticipating 14-21 named storms, of which 6-11 could become hurricanes and 2-5 could become major hurricanes.
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