Hurricane Lee Marches North: Here’s What To Expect

NEW JERSEY — Dangerous beach conditions are expected to return to the Jersey Shore this week, as forecasters say that powerful Hurricane Lee will take a northward turn along the East Coast and affect the region “by the middle of the week."

“Dangerous surf and rip currents have begun to affect portions of the southeastern U.S. coast, and these conditions are forecast to spread northward along much of the U.S. East Coast during the next couple of days,” said the National Hurricane Center on Monday.

The risk of elevated rip currents and increasing surf will begin Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. The building surf could also lead to beach erosion and coastal flooding.

“It still looks like there will be no direct impacts to our area, however a prolonged period of larger swells/waves and dangerous rip currents are expected,” added the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly.

The weather service advised people to "continue to remain aware of the latest on this storm as the chance of it impacting us more significantly, while low, remains above zero."

Lee was about 340 miles north of the northern Leeward Islands (in the eastern Caribbean) on Monday morning, as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. It is expected to re-strengthen to a Category 4 later this week, added forecasters.

AccuWeather also said the threat of impacts in eastern New England “is increasing.”

Forecasters have said Lee will not directly hit Florida or North Carolina, preventing those areas hardest-hit by Hurricane Idalia from seeing flooding rain. However, residents in southeastern Massachusetts and northeastward into Nova Scotia could see direct impacts by late this week, AccuWeather added.

Lee currently holds the title of the strongest hurricane to form in the Atlantic so far this season, as it hit Category 5.