Miami Dolphins, FSU aren't playing in Florida but could see bluster from Hurricane Lee

Hurricane Lee is forecast to lose some of its vigor by week's end when a still-uncertain path takes it closer to the New England coastline, but what it loses in brawn, it will gain in girth.

That means little to South Florida, which is far from Lee's bluster — unless you're a Miami Dolphins fan.

And while Florida's Panhandle also will be spared, the Florida State Seminoles may not.

Both teams are scheduled to play games in the Boston area this weekend. FSU takes on Boston College Saturday at noon. The Dolphins and the New England Patriots play Sunday at 8:20 p.m. at Foxborough Stadium.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Boston was just west of Lee's 5-day forecast track cone, with the storm's center off the coast Saturday afternoon.

National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said Monday that hurricane-force winds from Lee extended 75 miles from its center. Tropical storm-force winds stretched as far as 185 miles.

By Tuesday morning, Lee's hurricane force-winds reached 90 miles from its center. Tropical storm-force winds extended up to 205 miles.

Brennan said that while Lee, which was a Category 3 storm Tuesday with 115 mph winds, will fall in strength to a Category 1 by week's end, it will balloon in size.

"Peak winds come down, but the wind field will continue to grow in size by 50, 60, 70%, maybe 300 miles from the center," Brennan said. "That means even if Lee remains offshore of New England, there could still be high winds, heavy rainfall, coastal flooding, high surf and heavy rip currents."

Meteorologist Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground and a writer for Yale Climate Connections, said he doesn't think the Dolphins game on Sunday will be impacted.

But "the Saturday college game is likely to see wind and rain from Lee," Masters said.

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Florida State athletic officials were monitoring the situation on Monday. The forecast path will be better understood once Lee swings around the western edge of the Bermuda High, likely late Tuesday into Wednesday.

"There is a lot of uncertainty until it turns north," said Kyle Pederson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston. "It looks like models aren't showing a direct impact."

If Lee follows the center of the track track laid out for it on Tuesday, it would miss a Massachusetts landfall, but Maine was a possibility.

Still, Pederson noted that storms travel outside the forecast track cone about 33% of the time.

Alumni Stadium, where Boston College plays, is expected to have sustained wind speeds as high as 25 mph Saturday with gusts up to 38 mph. Rain chances are 30%.

Sunday's forecast in Foxborough, where the Dolphins are scheduled to play, has a sustained northwest wind of 16 to 18 mph with gusts up to 28.

Hurricane and storm surge expert Michael Lowry, who is a meteorologist with South Florida ABC affiliate Channel 10, said he believes the Dolphins game may be in the clear.

"The models have sped up some today so timing-wise, the FSU game Saturday aligns closest with Lee’s approach to coastal New England," Lowry said. "The question remains how close it gets and a wide range of outcomes remains on the table."

Hurricanes have affected previous Dolphins, FSU games

If the weekend games are rescheduled, it wouldn't be the first time hurricane season forced a calendar change for the state's football teams. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 caused a Sept. 6 season opener between the Patriots and the Dolphins to be rescheduled to Oct. 18.

Hurricane Ivan in 2004 caused a game between the Tennessee Titans and the Dolphins to be moved forward a day.

A year later, Hurricane Wilma forced a Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dolphins game to move up by two days.

And most recently, Hurricane Irma in 2017 moved a Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game from Sept. 10 to Nov. 19. Irma also forced the University of Miami-FSU game to be shifted from September to October.

Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hurricane Lee could impact Dolphins, Florida State football games