HomeWHENWhen Is Hurricane Lee Hitting Florida

When Is Hurricane Lee Hitting Florida

  • Dangerous surf and rip currents have begun to affect portions of the southeastern U.S. coast, according to the National Weather Service.
  • These conditions are forecast to spread northward along much of the U.S. East Coast during the next couple of days.
  • Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30, but the busiest part of the season is August to October.

It doesn’t look like the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore will be making a stop in Florida for Hurricane Lee, and there’s some question whether the storm will hit the East Coast of the U.S. at all.

But hurricanes have effects far beyond the forecast cone, and Lee has strengthened back into a major hurricane. What will this mean for Florida’s coast this week?

Expect rough surf, highly dangerous rip currents and larger breaking waves, at least, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

Where is Hurricane Lee going? Is Hurricane Lee going to hit Florida?

Virtually all the spaghetti models show Lee turning sharply northward, away from the U.S. and potentially threatening a direct hit on Canada or Nova Scotia. But the East Coast can expect to feel an impact, forecasters said.

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What category is Hurricane Lee?

As of 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11, Lee had strengthened back to a large Category 3 with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.

On Sept. 8, Lee rose briefly to Category 5 with winds of 165 mph, making it the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic so far during the 2023 season. Lee strengthened to a Category 5 within 25 hours of being an 80 mph Category 1 storm, and that sort of rapid intensification is extremely rare. The hurricane quickly dropped back to Category 4 that Friday morning and continued to weaken over the weekend before strengthening again.

It’s too soon to tell just what Lee will do and how much impact it might have in Florida since Lee is “expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic,” the hurricane center said.

NHC forecasters expect Lee to strengthen into a Category 4 hurricane again Monday and maintain that strength through late Wednesday, Sept. 13.

What is Hurricane Lee’s path and trajectory?

Boaters on Florida’s central east coast can expect to see lightning storms, showers and wind gusts up to 35 knots Monday, and small craft operation will become hazardous in the open Atlantic waters and near inlets as seas build by the middle of this week.

USA TODAY NETWORK Florida audience team member Cheryl McCloud contributed to this story.

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