On Wednesday afternoon, Hurricane Lee was roughly 420 miles south of Bermuda and 1,015 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. By 2 p.m. the cyclone had weakened causing the National Hurricane Center to classify it as a Category 2 storm. This means it has a wind speed of 110 mph with gusts of 140.
Hurricane Lee Speeds Up
Experts are expecting dangerous surf and rip currents to spread northward across New England and the Atlantic Canada later today. By this afternoon, Hurricane Lee had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. Additionally, it was moving north-northwest at nine miles per hour.
Moreover, the cyclone is expected to stay a major storm throughout the day on Wednesday. Meteorologists have stated that computer models show Hurricane Lee on a fairly consistent path as it heads up the East Coast. However, prior to reaching Maine, it is believed the storm will drop to a Category 1 and eventually a post-tropical storm.
At this time, it is difficult to predict where Hurricane Lee will hit land. It all depends on several weather features that will have influence on the storm as it travels north. Even though the storm is expected to weaken, it will most likely grow in size and gain speed.
Expectations
Hurricane Lee is expected to cause major coastal surf, beach erosion, and high winds late into the week and into the weekend.
Millions of people are preparing for the impacts the storm will cause. As the storm barrels its way towards the United States millions of Americans have been placed under watches for the next 48 hours.
Boston, Massachusetts is expecting winds reaching 39 to 73 mph starting Friday evening. This system could stick around through the first portion of the weekend.
Currently, Hurricane Lee is roughly 1,210 miles south of Eastport, Maine with a wind intensity of 105 miles per hour. It is steadily heading north-northwest at 10 mph. In addition, Mainers are expecting the tropical storm to hit the area late Saturday into early Sunday.
Preparations
Electrical and cable crews have begun to prepare for outages, going as far as to warn their customers of the chances it may happen. Governor Janet Mills and the Maine Emergency Management Agency have urged its residents to begin preparations as Hurricane Lee approaches.
In a statement, Maine’s Governor revealed, “We are tracking the path of the storm and coordinating with federal and local partners to prepare for its arrival.” Furthermore, Mills urges her residents “to exercise caution and to take common-sense steps to ensure they have all they need to stay safe as the storm draws closer moving into the weekend.”
Citizens living on the East Coast and New England area should expect heavy rainfall and coastal flooding. As with any major downpour, the chances of flash floods and creek overflows is a possibility.
Additionally, the National Hurricane Center has warned certain parts of New England there is potential for “life-threatening storm surge flooding.” At 8 p.m., Hurricane Lee was approximately 370 miles south-southwest of Bermuda.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
CNN: Massive Hurricane Lee prompts tropical storm and hurricane watches for coastal New England as threat grows
FOX Weather: New England on alert: Hurricane and Tropical Storm watches issued for much of coastline ahead of Lee’s arrival
WMTW 8: Hurricane Lee picks up speed on path toward Maine; Expected to enter Gulf of Maine Saturday
Featured Image Courtesy of leechantmcarthur‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Rich Bard’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
