Hurricane Lee, a Category 3 storm, moved away from the northern Caribbean on Wednesday, heading towards Atlantic Canada and leaving large waves behind. Located about 460 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, Lee had winds of up to 115 mph and was moving northwest at 6 mph.
Forecasters expected Lee to pass just west of Bermuda, prompting a tropical storm warning for the island. Wind and heavy rainfall were predicted to hit Bermuda late Wednesday or early Thursday. The storm is anticipated to continue north, weakening in cooler waters, potentially making landfall as a tropical storm in Nova Scotia, Canada, over the weekend.
The National Hurricane Center stated, “Slow weakening is forecast during the next few days; however, Lee is likely to remain a large and dangerous hurricane into the weekend.
Category 3 Storm Expected to Weaken but Remain Dangerous; Hurricane Margot Continues in Open AtlanticLee’s expected post-tropical transition will not diminish potential wind, rain, and coastal flooding impacts in New England and Atlantic Canada due to the system’s broad wind field.”
Hurricane-force winds extend up to 115 miles from Lee’s center, with tropical storm-force winds reaching up to 240 miles. Dangerous surf and rip currents were warned for the Lesser Antilles, British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and parts of the U.S. southeast coast, with conditions expected to spread to the U.S. East Coast and Atlantic Canada.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Margot spun through the open Atlantic, located 790 miles west-southwest of the Azores, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Moving north at 12 mph, Margot is expected to remain over open waters. It is the 13th named storm and the fifth hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 and peaked on Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecasted 14 to 21 named storms this season, with six to 11 expected to strengthen into hurricanes, and two to five potentially developing into Category 3 storms or higher.