Tropic Watch – Hurricane Lee
ASHEBORO N.C. - Forecasters will be keeping a very close eye on Hurricane Lee over the weekend to see if forecast models predicting the storm will make a turn out to sea will be accurate.
Current Location / Strength
Over less than 24 hours, Lee intensified from a tropical storm into a category 5 hurricane with reported winds of 160+ mph. That rapid intensification is the quickest any system has gone from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in Atlantic hurricane season history.
(NOAA / NWS - National Hurricane Center)
Lee is currently located around 750 miles to the east of San Juan, Puerto Rico (18.2N 54.5W), and is moving WNW at 13 mph. This morning Lee encountered some wind shear resulting in sustained winds falling below 160 mph dropping Lee back down to a category ...