Tropical storm update: Hurricane Lee downgraded to Category 3 storm as US impacts nonetheless ‘too soon to know’: Live

Lee marked the primary Category 5 hurricane of this yr’s Atlantic season when it quickly grew from a Category 1 inside 24 hours this week. There have been seven different Cat 5 storms from the Atlantic since 2016, with one – Michael – making landfall within the US in 2018.

Within thouse 24 hours, Hurricane Lee intensified from an 80 mph Cat 1 to a Cat 5 with 160 mph winds, seemingly making it the fastest-intensifying Atlantic storm on file.

Lee has since diminished to a Cat 3 storm and is anticipated to keep up its energy over the weekend.

Hurricane Lee is “maintaing strength” as a not too long ago downgraded Category 3 storm because it strikes throughout the Atlanta Ocean with most sustained winds of 115 mph with larger gusts, in line with the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

“Little change in strength is expected today, but gradual restrengthening is forecast to occur on Sunday and Monday,” in line with the advisory.

For the primary time on file, Category 5 storms have fashioned in each tropical ocean basin inside one yr.

Lee, which has since downgraded to a Category 3 because it tracks alongside open Atlantic Ocean, accelerated from Category 1 energy right into a Category 5 this week.

“I think it’s reasonable to hypothesize that the abnormally warm ocean temperatures around the world made this more likely to happen,” University of Miami, hurricane professional Brian McNoldy informed The Washington Post. “Gives everything a boost.”

Hurricane Lee ramped as much as a Category 5 storm inside 24 hours this week, but it surely has been downgraded to a Category 3 and can seemingly lose energy over the course of the day because it struggles with wind shear.

The National Hurricane Center continues to emphasize it’s nonetheless “way too soon” to know what impacts, if any, the storm may have alongside the East Coast of the US, and the storm may acquire energy because it continues to maneuver with sustained winds at 115 mph as of Saturday morning.

Dangerous and life-threatening rip currents are affecting elements of the Leeward Islands, in line with NHC. Those situations are anticipated to influence elements of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda over the weekend.

Some forecast fashions counsel that Hurricane Lee may graze the US East Coast – however the jury continues to be out.

“Regardless, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along most of the US East Coast beginning Sunday,” the National Hurricane Center warned.

Lee is anticipated to maintain strengthening and attain winds of as much as 180mph (290kph).

Only seven Atlantic hurricanes have had winds of that magnitude since 1966, in line with Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Among these was Hurricane Dorian, which pummeled the northern Bahamas in 2019 as a Category 5 storm, hovering over small islands for some two days.

Lee is anticipated to maintain strengthening and attain winds of as much as 180mph (290kph).

Only seven Atlantic hurricanes have had winds of that magnitude since 1966, in line with Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Among these was Hurricane Dorian, which pummeled the northern Bahamas in 2019 as a Category 5 storm, hovering over small islands for some two days.

‘We will see waves between 10 and 15 feet, so we don’t need anybody on the seashores’.