MIAMI, FL (352today.com/AP) — Hurricane Lee remains a large and powerful storm creating hazardous surf and rip currents along most of the East Coast much of this week, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of the NHC’s 5 a.m. update on Tuesday, Lee located about 575 miles south of Bermuda. It had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and was moving west-northwest at 7 mph.
The storm is not expected to make landfall this week, although forecasters said residents of New England and nearby areas should keep a close eye on Lee, which was predicted to slowly turn northward later in the coming days. The center said Lee is likely to pass just west of Bermuda late Thursday and Friday.
“Although Lee is expected to weaken later in the week, it is expected to significantly increase in size and hazards will extend well away from the storm center,” the agency said. Bermuda could experience wind, rain and high surf, but “it is too soon to determine the specific timing and level of those impacts,” the center said.
Lee strengthened from a Category 1 storm to a Category 5 storm last week in the span of 24 hours before weakening slightly.
Lee is the 12th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 and peaked on Sunday.
Also swirling in the Atlantic is Hurricane Margot, which became a Category 1 storm Monday afternoon. It’s still strengthening but forecast to remain over open waters.