Tropical Storm Lee likely to intensify into major hurricane. What can NJ expect?
The National Hurricane Center issued an advisory for the Atlantic on Wednesday morning as forecasters expect Tropical Storm Lee to develop quickly into a major hurricane by early Saturday, with wind speeds as strong as 150 mph.
It’s too soon for the National Hurricane Center to know the exact path and magnitude of Tropical Storm Lee, the advisory says.
However, the forecast predicts the storm will pass this weekend by the northern Leeward Islands, which start east of Puerto Rico and include the Virgin Islands, where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. These areas may experience heavy rain.
The National Hurricane Center also warned that the Lesser Antilles, which include the Leeward Islands, could see swells produced by the storm on Friday that are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Impacts for New Jersey and East Coast
The storm will likely create strong surf and dangerous rip currents along the U.S. East Coast, according to an AccuWeather alert. Their meteorologists said the storm track “could vary across a wide swath spanning from the U.S. East Coast northward to Eastern Canada,” but odds favor the storm will stay east of the of U.S.
Still, AccuWeather's forecast shows high chances of thunderstorms in New Jersey all weekend.
New Jersey avoided impacts from Hurricane Idalia last week, besides some dangerous rip currents in the Atlantic Ocean that caused a danger for swimmers over the Labor Day weekend.
Expect above normal tropic storm activity
Idalia began in the Gulf of Mexico off of Cuba, not far from the islands likely to be most impacted by Lee. Idalia eventually traveled east across northern Florida and into Georgia and South Carolina, where it caused flooding and destruction.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters expected above-normal tropical storm activity in the Atlantic Ocean during this hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30.
Record-high surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean could make hurricanes this fall more likely, according to New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Tropical Storm Lee likely to intensify into major hurricane
