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Tropical Storm Lee has strengthened right into a hurricane and is forecast to grow to be “extraordinarily harmful” by the weekend, probably even intensifying right into a Class 4, consultants warn.
Lee was upgraded to a Class 1 hurricane on Wednesday, in accordance with a 5 p.m. ET replace by the Nationwide Hurricane Middle (NHC), which predicts the storm will grow to be a “main hurricane” by early Saturday.
As of Wednesday night, the hurricane had wind speeds topping 75 mph and was persevering with to realize momentum, Kelly Godsey, a senior service hydrologist and meteorologist with the Nationwide Climate Service (NWS) in Tallahassee, Florida, instructed Newsweek in a cellphone interview on Wednesday evening.
“Extraordinarily favorable” circumstances, reminiscent of heat ocean water and lightweight wind shear, are serving to Lee strengthen quickly, he stated.
“Storms like these, they will intensify in a short time,” Godsey instructed Newsweek. “Lee is forecast to grow to be a significant hurricane by Friday. Amazingly, a Class 4 hurricane by Saturday. That is going to be the time that it’s nearing the Leeward Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Then Lee will close to Puerto Rico by Sunday.”
Hurricane Lee is transferring northwest via the Caribbean Sea at roughly 14 mph, the NHC stated.
Godsey stated it is nonetheless too early to forecast whether or not Lee will make landfall, however he stated even when the hurricane stays offshore, it nonetheless has potential to convey life-threatening climate circumstances.
“Anytime you’re taking a storm like this and also you convey it close to a landmass, it is going to generate very harmful surf and life-threatening rip currents as effectively,” he stated. “So even when this storm stays effectively offshore of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, there are nonetheless hazards that residents on these islands want to concentrate on because the storm approaches and strikes previous.”
In the mean time, there aren’t any coastal watches or warnings in impact, the NHC stated, noting that the Leeward Islands ought to monitor the storm. Godsey warns that this might change, urging residents within the storm’s projected path to “monitor Lee carefully.”
Swells generated by Hurricane Lee are anticipated to succeed in parts of the Lesser Antilles on Friday, and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by the weekend. These enormous waves are more likely to trigger “life-threatening surf and rip present circumstances,” NHC stated.
Godsey instructed Newsweek that even when the storm would not close to Florida or mainland U.S., a few of the extreme climate circumstances might attain coastal communities.
“It is nearly like if you drop a rock in a pond, the ripples exit in all instructions,” he stated. “As Lee continues to maneuver on to the northwest and get nearer towards Florida, the swells or the waves from the storm are going to maneuver towards the east coast of Florida, and the East Coast of the US, and people waves are going to generate very harmful or life-threatening currents.”
He warns that these hazardous seaside circumstances might be anticipated as quickly as early subsequent week.
“Even when Lee will get nowhere close to the east coast of Florida, we’re nonetheless going to have these seaside circumstances which might be going to be hazardous for people.”
Godsey stated Lee is predicted to be a hurricane for a while, effectively into subsequent week. He stated if Lee does intensify right into a Class 4, it might convey winds topping 130 mph.
Tropical storm-force winds, which may attain as much as 73 mph, are forecast to hit Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Leeward Islands.
“This is a superb time for everybody to only overview their hurricane plan,” Godsey instructed Newsweek. “The height of hurricane season is September 10 and right here we’re on September 6 speaking about what shall be a significant hurricane. So it is a wonderful time all up and down the East Coast of the US to recheck your loved ones’s preparedness plan and know what you would possibly do if a storm was approaching your group.”
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