2023-09-06 11:16:02
SAN JUAN (AP) — Tropical Storm Lee was moving through open waters in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday and is expected to become a hurricane soon as it approaches the Caribbean.
The storm was located about 2,040 kilometers (1,265 miles) east-southeast of the Leeward Islands, had maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h (65 mph) and was moving in a west-northwest direction at 22 km/h (14 mph), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The forecast does not call for landfall, but it is expected to pass just northeast of the British Virgin Islands, which are still recovering from Hurricanes Maria and Irma, the latter in September 2017.
Lee is expected to reach hurricane status later Wednesday and become a major hurricane within a couple of days.
“Lee continues to gain strength at a rapid rate,” the NHC said, noting that it is moving over very warm water and a humid environment.
Lee is the 12th named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.
In August, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Management Office warned that this year’s hurricane season would be more intense than normal. Between 14 and 21 named storms are forecast, of which between six and 11 could become hurricanes, and between two and five could reach a category 3 or greater.
In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Jova has reached hurricane status well off the southwestern coast of Mexico and does not pose a threat to the mainland. Jova had 85 mph (140 km/h) winds, was located about 640 miles (1,035 kilometers) south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, and was moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 km/h). ).
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