Hurricane Lee hits Bermuda on its way toward New England

Soon after Hurricane Idalia hit Florida’s Big Bend region, a tropical storm was found in the Atlantic at the beginning of September.

As the storm developed and made its way north toward the Lesser Antilles islands, forecasters warned that it could gain speed and ferocity, and become an “extremely dangerous hurricane” that could hit the East Coast of the United States or Bermuda.

Here’s the latest on Hurricane Lee:

Hurricane Lee hits Bermuda on its way toward New England

9:30 a.m., Sept. 14, 2023

Hurricane Lee brought tropical storm conditions to Bermuda on Thursday morning as the island was hit with wind and rain.

Bermuda’s government announced that the airport would be closed from midday Thursday until Friday as people prepare for the storm to hit, reported ABC News. Other public places such as banks, parks, ferry services and schools would be closed.

Did Hurricane Lee hit Bermuda?

Meteorologist Danielle Banks with the Weather Channel reported that the eye of Hurricane Lee is passing to the west of Bermuda, bringing strong winds and rain.

The director of the Bermuda Weather Service, Michelle Pitcher, told Fox Weather that hurricane-force winds and flooding are expected and anticipated by residents.

“Evacuation isn’t really an option for us,” Pitcher told Fox. “Our building codes are very strong ... and we have strong roots, so everything is rather sturdy.”

She said landslides are not a concern and while some flooding in certain parts of the island is possible, it’s not a big concern.

What states is Hurricane Lee going to hit?

As the storm passes Bermuda, it's still uncertain where it will make landfall in North America. The National Hurricane Center anticipates it will hit in between Maine and Nova Scotia between Friday night and Sunday, but the storm could take a turn to the west and impact more of the northeastern part of the United States.

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Hurricane Lee fast approaches land, prompting hurricane and tropical storm watches

4 p.m., Sept. 13, 2023

Several warnings, including flash flooding and powerful storm surge advisories, were enacted Wednesday in preparation for the effects of Hurricane Lee as it approaches land this weekend.

Is Hurricane Lee going to hit New England?

“The center of Lee will pass west of Bermuda Thursday and Thursday night and then approach the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada Friday and Saturday,” said the National Hurricane Center’s update.

Lee is expected to lose momentum as it pushes northwest but “is likely to remain a large and dangerous hurricane into the weekend.”

How will Hurricane Lee affect Maine?

Hurricane watch advisories have been issued for Downeast Maine, from Stonington to the U.S.-Canadian border and a tropical storm watch issued for surrounding areas in Coastal New England including Watch Hill, Rhode Island to Sonington, and Maine from Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.

It’s estimated that some areas in New England could get storm surges up to 4 feet. Hurricane Lee is expected to produce 1 to 4 inches of rainfall in eastern New England, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, causing some localized flooding.

The maximum sustained wind speeds of Lee are currently at 105 mph with stronger gusts, which are anticipated to start on Friday night.

Hurricane Lee makes big waves and dangerous rip tides

9:30 a.m., Sept. 12, 2023

This week in the wake of Hurricane Lee, “dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents” are expected along the eastern coast of the United States, Canada and several islands in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Lee’s center was about 575 miles south of Bermuda on Tuesday morning, and had maximum wind speeds of 115 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane, reported CNN. Hurricane-speed winds extended to 80 miles outside the storm’s center, which could have effects on land nearby.

“Since wind and rainfall hazards will extend well away from the center as Lee grows in size” over the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center said, people in those areas should continue to monitor the storm closely.

Along with the eastern coast of the United States, Canada, the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda are all expected to see some degree of turbulent surf in the next day or so, the National Hurricane Center reported.

The center posted an updated trajectory of the storm, which shows the storm hitting land in Nova Scotia at 8 a.m. on Sunday and affecting Maine, but bypassing most of the East Coast of the United States.

Hurricane Lee turns north, away from its track to Florida

11:30 a.m., Sept. 11, 2023

Hurricane Lee was a Category 3 hurricane on Monday. It is expected to take a sharp northward turn, away from its track to Florida, midweek.

As it makes its northward turn, the storm is expected to gain speed and grow in size midweek, CNN reported. It could potentially impact the coast with harsh winds, rain and coastal flooding — even if the storm passes hundreds of miles offshore.

CNN reported that dangerous surf along the coast of Florida and as far east as the Caribbean islands was kicked up from the hurricane already.

The National Hurricane Center has been clear there are a lot of unknowns throughout the discovery of the hurricane. The center said on Monday, “It remains too soon to know what level of additional impacts Lee might have along the Northeast U.S. coast and Atlantic Canada late this week and this weekend.”

Lee continues to be monitored as it gains momentum.

Hurricane Lee strengthens to Category 5 hurricane. Where is it headed?

9:40 a.m., Sept. 8, 2023

Tropical Storm Lee was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane, with a possibility of it becoming stronger, the National Hurricane Center said during its Friday morning update.

The hurricane is located 630 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, per a center advisory.

CNN reported that in just a 24-hour period, the storm intensified significantly, gaining 85 mph for winds up to 165 mph.

NHC reported dangerous conditions like life-threatening rip currents are expected to hit the northern Leeward Islands later Friday. Conditions are anticipated to spread westward and northward toward Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and Bermuda through the weekend.

As far as the hurricane’s impact on the United States and Bermuda, it is still uncertain. “The hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic,” the center said in a release.

For now, the center said that dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along the U.S. East Coast starting on Sunday. Currently, no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.

Where is Hurricane Lee headed?

One of two possible scenarios is expected to play out with Hurricane Lee’s path in the next seven days, according to CNN.

1. Hurricane Lee misses the east coast of the United States, heading north and out to sea — if the high pressure over the Atlantic weakens, the hurricane could make a quick turn away from the coast, steering the storm toward Bermuda.

2. Hurricane Lee hits closer to the east coast — If the high pressure continues to be strong, CNN predicted that the storm would hit close to the coast, mainly affecting north of the Carolinas.

Tropical Storm Lee forms in the Atlantic, forecast to evolve into an ‘extremely dangerous hurricane’

10:24 a.m., Sept. 6, 2023

Another tropical storm brewing in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday has the potential to hit the southeastern United States in the near future, per USA Today.

Although it’s still too early to tell the exact trajectory of Tropical Storm Lee, social media posts abounded with warnings and fear over the holiday weekend, per The New York Times.

Could Hurricane Lee hit the U.S.?

Meteorologist John Morales posted an accumulation of the European, American, Canadian and United Kingdom storm trajectories, which showed a greater chance of impact with the United States. An updated Thursday analysis showed “a greater consensus that Lee will pass north of the northeastern Caribbean and recurve into the North Atlantic,” which would miss the eastern United States, Morales wrote in a social media post.

Here’s what we know about Tropical Storm Lee:

• Tropical Storm Lee is expected to quickly gain speed and transition to a major Category 4 or 5 hurricane by Friday, strengthening into Sunday, per the Miami National Hurricane Center.

• The storm was located near latitude 13.2 North, longitude 41.8 West, due west of Cabo Verde on Wednesday.

• It’s moving northwest at about 16 mph, and expected to keep moving toward Bermuda and the southeast end of the United States.

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