SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Hurricane Lee made landfall north of Puerto Rico on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm, with forecasts predicting it will continue in open waters through this week as it makes its way into Atlantic Canada.
The hurricane Leewas 535 miles (860 km) south of Bermuda. It had gusts of up to 115 miles per hour (185 kilometers per hour) and was heading west-northwest at 7 miles per hour (11 kilometers per hour).
The National Hurricane Centre has issued a tropical storm warning for Bermuda, with Lee expected to pass just west of the island late Thursday. Lee was described as “a very large hurricane,” with hurricane-force winds extending up to 125 miles (205 kilometers) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 240 miles (390 km).
According to AccuWeather, hurricane Lee was expected to weaken into a tropical storm by Sunday and land in Nova Scotia, Canada.
“A significant storm surge will occur, along with the strongest winds and the risk of property damage,” AccuWeather stated.
According to forecasters, wind and flooding are also likely across Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire, and central and coastal Maine.
Hurricane Lee is forecast to weaken as it moves into colder waters in the coming days.
Hurricane Lee made landfall north of Puerto Rico on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm.
“Regardless of the forecast weakening, keep in mind that hurricane Lee’s expanding wind field will produce impacts well away from the storm centre,” the hurricane center stated.
Lee was causing dangerous surf and rip currents for the Lesser Antilles, the British and United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and most of the United States East Coast.
“It is too early to predict what level of additional impacts hurricane Lee may have along the northeastern United States coast and Atlantic Canada late this week and this weekend,” the National Hurricane Centre warned.
Hurricane Lee is the 12th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1 and ends on November 30.
Meanwhile, Margot became the season’s fifth named hurricane on Monday. It was approximately 835 miles (1,345 km) west of the Azores. It had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour) and was traveling north at 14 miles per hour (22 kilometers per hour). Margot is expected to remain in open waters.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts 14 to 21 named storms this season. Six to eleven of these are likely to strengthen into hurricanes, with two to five of those developing into Category 3 or higher storms.
SOURCE – (AP)
