Hurricane Lee was threatening to become “an extremely dangerous major” storm by Friday. Image courtesy NOAA
Sept. 7 (UPI) — Lee is expect to become “an extremely dangerous major hurricane” before the weekend when swells it generates will likely reach the Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, forecasters said late Wednesday.
In its 11 p.m. EDT update, the National Hurricane Center located Lee about 1,035 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands and was moving west-northwest at 14 mph.
The storm was carrying maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. A storm is considered a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale when maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph.
“Additional strengthening is forecast, and rapid intensification is expected to begin on Thursday,” the NHC said.
No storm watches or warnings were in effect as of Wednesday night, according to NHC, which started monitoring the storm over the weekend. It grew to hurricane strength Wednesday afternoon.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles from the center of the storm. The NHC said that surf swells generated by Lee are expected to reach parts of the Lesser Antilles on Friday, likely causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Hurricane Lee comes less than a week after Hurricane Idalia slammed much of the U.S. Southeast. The deadly hurricane damaged homes and knocked out power in Florida while flooding parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. Idalia is blamed for at least two deaths.