Hurricane Lee could still have an impact on the NC coast. Here’s the latest forecast
The National Hurricane Center is watching four systems in the Atlantic: a hurricane and a tropical storm that are moving out of North Carolina’s strike zone and two new disturbances off the coast of Africa.
What is Hurricane Lee’s path?
Hurricane Lee continues to move slowly — about 8 mph — to the west-northwest, but is expected to make a turn more toward the north by midweek, forecasters said Monday.
That trajectory should keep the storm away from the North Carolina coast, though it could cause problems over the weekend for New England states and Canada.
Here’s how Lee will affect the North Carolina coast
As of Monday morning, Hurricane Lee had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, making it a Category 3 — a major hurricane. It has fluctuated in strength since its formation last week, at one point hitting Category 5 status, and is expected to strengthen slightly again.
Though Lee is not expected to come ashore near North Carolina, the storm will generate dangerously rough seas and rip currents along our coast and most of the eastern seaboard.
▪ The National Weather Service’s marine forecast shows seas will begin to rise along the N.C. coast Tuesday night in the area from the New River Inlet to the S.C. line, and beginning on Wednesday north of the New River Inlet to Virginia.
▪ As Hurricane Lee begins to travel north Wednesday through Friday, seas will get bigger, peaking at 7 to 10 feet on the southern coast and up to 11 feet going north.
Rip currents kill more people than hurricanes in the Carolinas
Rough seas increase the likelihood of rip currents, and marine forecasts along the N.C. coast say there will be a high risk of rip currents as Hurricane Lee moves north.
The National Weather Service reports that rip currents caused more deaths in North and South Carolina coastal areas than all other weather-related hazards combined between 2000 and 2022.
The Weather Service says rip currents account for about 8 deaths each year in the two states, and about 100 deaths each year for the U.S. as a whole.
What is Tropical Storm Margot doing?
Margot could develop into a hurricane, but is expected to move north-northeast, well away from the U.S. coast.
Two new disturbances in the Atlantic
Monday, the National Hurricane Center identified two new systems forecasters are watching in the eastern Atlantic.
▪ Meteorologists describe one as a low-pressure system that’s producing rain and thunderstorms several hundred miles off the Cabo Verde Islands. Forecasters say it’s unlikely to develop into a tropical depression over the next week.
▪ The other is a tropical wave over the far eastern tropical Atlantic, between the Cabo Verde Islands and Africa. That one also is producing rain and thunderstorms, and forecasters say conditions are good for it to develop further. It could become a tropical depression by the weekend as it moves west-northwest at 15 to 20 mph, the Hurricane Center says
This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Hurricane Lee could still have an impact on the NC coast. Here’s the latest forecast."
