Hurricane Lee has intensified into the first Category 5 hurricane of the Atlantic season, which lasts until Nov. 30.
The National Hurricane Center released its latest update at 11 p.m. on Thursday, stating, "dangerous beach conditions expected to develop around the Western Atlantic through early next week." A Category 5 hurricane is defined by the agency as having winds traveling at 157 mph or higher, and with winds already "near 160 mph," Lee is expected to strengthen further overnight.
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The update added that Lee "is expected to pass well to the north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the weekend and into early next week." The storm is expected to remain a major hurricane "through early next week."
With swells causing "life-threatening" surf and rip current conditions, the hurricane may affect Bermuda, Atlantic Canada, and parts of the East Coast, and was expected earlier on Thursday to make landfall as far as Nova Scotia.
In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-deployed assets and is coordinating with local officials ahead of the storm, the Biden administration said.
Despite it being the first Category 5 storm of the season, Lee is the 12th named hurricane. Throughout the last 100 years, 38 Atlantic hurricanes have reached Category 5 intensity. National Hurricane Center forecaster Dan Zelinsky pointed to computer forecast models that caught “an alarming rate of intensification” beyond what is normally seen. This is due to the moist environment, rising ocean temperature, and minimal wind shear.
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Thirty-eight other Atlantic hurricanes have reached Category 5 intensity over the past 100 years.
The Weather Channel advised those along the Eastern Seaboard to avoid high surf and rip currents, with possible coastal flooding and beach erosion next week. Residents in the affected islands are encouraged to stay vigilant, but no advisories have been issued at this time to shelter in place.