Hurricane Lee: Will The Catastrophic Storm Track Toward New England?

MASSACHUSETTS — As the most powerful storm of the season raged through the open Atlantic Ocean the impact of strong rip currents along the New England coast were forecast for as early as Sunday as the ultimate path of the storm remained uncertain.

AccuWeather meteorologists warned on Friday that the threat of direct impacts in New England was increasing, and much of the East Coast will experience heavy seas and dangerous surf.

"The area in the United States that really needs to pay attention includes locations from the upper part of the mid-Atlantic coast to New England," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said, adding that parts of Atlantic Canada are most likely also get direct impacts from Lee late next week.

"At this point, forecasters think Lee will either make landfall somewhere from New England to Atlantic Canada or perhaps instead stay out to sea with a sweep to the east of Newfoundland," AccuWeather posted at 12 p.m. on Friday.

The storm reached Category 5 status on Friday morning with 165 mile-per-hour sustained winds with the National Hurricane Center forecasting a slowing of the storm's progression as it was expected to move toward the East Coast well north of the Leeland Island, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico late this weekend and early into the week.

Dangerous surf and what the Hurricane Center called "life-threatening rip currents" were expected in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Bermuda through early in the week.

"It is way too early to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda late (this upcoming) week," the Hurricane Center said on Friday, "particularly since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerable over the southwestern Atlantic.

"Regardless, dangerous surf conditions and rip currents are expected along most of the East Coast beginning Sunday."

AccuWeather said Lee had undergone a rapid intensification, reaching top-tier Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and packing 165-mph winds as of Friday morning.

Just 24 hours earlier, it had been an 80-mph Category 1 hurricane. Rapid intensification occurs when a tropical system's sustained winds increase by 35 mph or more in 24 hours.

"Lee has more than doubled down on the criteria needed for rapid intensification, which is extremely rare," AccuWeather said.

Lee is the strongest hurricane to churn in the Atlantic during the 2023 season.