Hurricane Lee to become a category 5 storm: Will it hit New York? Here’s what some experts say

The latest predictions surrounding Hurricane Lee point to it developing into a Category 5 hurricane by Friday night, meaning winds of more than 160 mph.

Due to weather conditions, Lee will undergo Rapid Intensification. a phenomenon where a hurricane’s maximum sustained winds increase 34.5 mph over 24 hours. Some estimates put 170 mph or greater.

The Hurricane Center said, “It is way too soon to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the US East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda late next week, particularly since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic.”

The organisation termed it “one of the fastest” if not the fastest-developing storm ever recorded in the Atlantic.

Where is the Hurricane predicted to pass now?

The current forecast tracker from the Hurricane Center anticipates that Lee will move in a north-northwest direction, with its trajectory taking it considerably north of Puerto Rico by Tuesday morning next week.

The wider forecast could put it on course for the Bahamas. Other estimates suggest it will veer north and not hit the Caribbean at all.

Some predictions put the hurricane on some sort of path toward the US. The ECMWF, or European model, has Lee not making landfall but coming very close to the east coast. The GFS, or American model has Cape Cod scraped. In either case, careful monitoring will be needed heading into next week.

There will still be consequences in the US, landfall or not

If the Category 5 hurricane does not make landfall remains out at sea there can still be significant consequences.

It can generate powerful waves and create dangerous rip currents along the coast, posing dangers for swimmers. This could combine with coastal flooding as a result of storm surges. The outer wind bands can bring high winds and heavy rainfall.