Swells and rip currents are expected as the hurricane's core moves north of the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend.
Hurricane Lee has built strength to become the first Category 5 storm of the Atlantic season, with areas in the northern Caribbean bracing for swells and rip currents.
The hurricane was located about 1,015 kilometers (630 miles) east of the northern Leeward Islands on Friday morning, and had sustained winds of up to 270 kilometers per hour (165 miles per hour), according to the US National Weather Service.
The agency said the storm was moving west-northwest at 22 kilometers per hour (14 mph).
Late Thursday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that Lee had become a “dangerous” Category 5 hurricane.
In a warning Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center said hurricane-fueled waves were expected to reach parts of the Lesser Antilles later in the day.
Waves are then expected to hit the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Bermuda over the weekend.
“These swells will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Dangerous surf and rip currents are expected to begin along much of the U.S. East Coast starting Sunday,” the agency said.
The storm is expected to remain a major hurricane through next week before slowing down “significantly” over the southwestern Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.
5 AM EDT – Tornado #for me It is a strong category 5 hurricane. Here are the key messages. Visit https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ for details. pic.twitter.com/wERUw5oN5x
– National Hurricane Center (NHC_Atlantic) September 8, 2023
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden obtained the latest hurricane track and details of the preparations being made by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed unspecified assets to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, according to the White House.
“We will see waves between 10 and 15 feet high [three and five metres]”So we don't want anyone on the beaches,” said Ernesto Morales of the National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Lee is the twelfth storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 and peaks in September.
Storm Margot
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Margot became the 13th storm of the season after forming Thursday evening.
It is located about 465 kilometers (290 mi) west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Winds were reaching speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour (40 mph) and were expected to intensify into a hurricane over the weekend. It was moving west-northwest at 28 km/h (17 mph) and was expected to remain over open water.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in August forecast 14 to 21 named storms this season, with six to 11 of them expected to become hurricanes, and two to five of them likely to develop into major hurricanes.
In the Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Jova swept into open waters off the southwestern coast of Mexico as a Category 4 storm. He did not pose any threat to the ground.
It was located about 965 kilometers (600 mi) southwest of the southern tip of Baja, California, and was moving west-northwest at 28 kilometers per hour (17 mph) with winds of up to 230 kilometers per hour (145 mph). per hour). The storm is expected to weaken starting late Thursday.
