New satellite images on Friday show Hurricane Lee, which has been upgraded to a Category 5 storm, brewing in the Atlantic as it moves toward land on the cusp of the Caribbean Sea and the United States.
As of 5 a.m. on Friday, Hurricane Lee was around 630 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands and is moving to the northwest at around 14 miles per hour. Lee started as a Category 1 storm on early Thursday morning, but rapidly intensified to a Category 5, the first of the Atlantic season, later that night.
Lee is not currently expected to make landfall at this stage, however the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a key message update on Friday morning that "dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents are likely in the northern Leeward Islands beginning later today." Other affected areas are likely to be Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.
"It is way too soon to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda late next week, particularly since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic," the NHC's advisory continues. "Regardless, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along most of the U/S. East Coast beginning Sunday."
The NHC confirmed on Friday that, according to data from the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Center, wind speeds are now at 165 mph. The center also said winds extend outward by up to 140 miles.
According to the most recent maps from the NHC, Lee will pass the Leeward Islands at around 8 a.m. on Saturday, and will skirt by Puerto Rico between Sunday 8 a.m. and Monday 8 a.m. Residents of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital city, have been warned that "wind, lightning, and excessive rainfall" are some of the potential impacts, according to San Juan National Weather Service (NWS). North and east facing beaches have also been warned of coastal flooding and beach erosion, as well as breaking waves reaching heights of 12 to 15 feet next week.
Current forecast models show the storm is likely to continue travelling northward, skirting past the East Coast of the U.S. and up toward Bermuda. As it travels in this direction, Weather Channel maps indicate Lee will reduce to a Category 4 storm well before reaching Bermuda, with winds on early Wednesday expected to have reduced to 140 mph.
Meanwhile, Weather Channel meteorologist Domenica Davis said that in the past 24 hours the wind speed has doubled and Lee will remain a Category 5 storm throughout the weekend. She also forecasted that winds from the "monster storm" could get as high as 180 mph by Friday evening.
Davis also warned that because the storm is currently far into the Atlantic, there is no guarantee Lee will continue on its currently projected path, saying it is "way too early to tell."
The White House has confirmed President Joe Biden has been kept informed with the latest updates regarding Lee.
"As part of the President's regular briefings today, he was also provided with the latest trajectory of Hurricane Lee and the preparations underway by FEMA, which has pre-deployed assets to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and is coordinating with local officials," a White House spokesperson told Newsweek.
Lee is the 12th named storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November. The peak of the season takes place on September 10.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
