The weekend is expected to witness a big and dangerous storm named Lee, as forecasters at the National Hurricane Center issued warnings on Wednesday night, cautioning about the possibility of hurricanes and tropical storms for parts of coastal New England and Atlantic Canada.
Lee takes aim at coastal New England as forecasters issue
NHCI issued a hurricane warning for the region, stating, “On Saturday, hurricane conditions, heavy rain, and coastal flooding are possible in some parts of eastern Maine.”
As of 11 PM AST update, NHCI placed Lee about 345 miles south-southwest of Bermuda. It was moving north at 9 miles per hour and carrying sustained winds of more than 105 miles per hour.
The Canadian Hurricane Center also issued a hurricane watch for the coast of New Brunswick, extending from Grand Manan Island to Point Lepreau, including the New Brunswick shore.
A hurricane watch was also issued for the Nova Scotia coastline from Digby to Medway Harbor.
Bermuda is currently under a tropical storm warning. According to NHCI, there is the possibility of a hurricane condition in Bermuda within the next 12 hours.
Lee’s hurricane conditions extend from Watch Hill in Rhode Island to Stonington, Maine, affecting Block Island in eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
A hurricane warning for Lee extends from Point Lepreau in New Brunswick, Canada, to Fort Lawrence, Nova Scotia, as well as from Digby northward to Fort Lawrence and from Medway Harbor in Nova Scotia northward to Porter Lake in eastern Nova Scotia.
NHCI stated in a statement, “A turn toward the north is expected tonight, followed by an increase in forward speed on Thursday and Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Lee is expected to pass to the west of Bermuda on Thursday night and then near or over the coast of New England or Atlantic Canada on Friday and Saturday.”
Lee became a Category 3 hurricane on Monday morning, according to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. According to the National Hurricane Center, it is expected to weaken gradually over the next few days but has the potential to remain a very large and dangerous storm over the weekend.
Encouragement has been given to the north eastern United States and Atlantic Canada to keep an eye on Lee’s progress as watches were issued on Wednesday night.
Forecasters have been warning about dangerous waves and surges on the western Atlantic Ocean shores throughout the week.
Lee was expected to generate such surges that could pose a threat to life in parts of the Lesser Antilles, British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and some parts of Bermuda, damaging the current conditions.
Dangerous surf and rip currents are affecting some portions of the southeastern United States coastline. These conditions are expected to spread northward along most of the eastern United States and Atlantic Canada coasts over the next few days.
While the core of Lee is expected to pass west of Bermuda, forecasters are warning that “a large wind field from the hurricane is likely to impact the island with hurricane conditions late this week.”
According to NHCI’s 11 PM update, Lee’s outer rain bands could produce 1 to 2 inches of rain across Bermuda on Thursday and Friday. Stay tuned for Wednesday’s update.