Tracking Hurricane Lee

Hurricane Lee remains a serious storm as it spins northward in the Atlantic Ocean on a track that will have it pass New England this weekend.

As it moved away from Bermuda on the morning of Sept. 15, the Category 1 storm had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, but those winds were expected to diminish as it passed over cooler waters. Tropical storm conditions – including powerful winds and coastal flooding – were expected for parts of coastal New England later that day, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A hurricane watch was in effect Sept. 15 for a portion of northern coastal Maine, meaning that hurricane conditions were possible within the watch area over the next 48 hours.

Meanwhile, a tropical storm warning was in effect Sept. 15 for Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and the New England coastline, meaning tropical storm conditions were expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

The center is closely tracking Hurricane Lee and providing regular updates on its path.

Make plans for safety

It’s especially important for older adults to stay informed and be prepared.

Older adults die at higher rates in extreme U.S. weather disasters than do younger people. Adults 65 and older accounted for roughly two-thirds of the 150 deaths attributed to Hurricane Ian, which walloped Florida’s west coast in September 2022. When Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, also last September, adults 65 and older accounted for 35 of the 42 deaths, as AARP reported.

The perfect time to think about emergency preparedness is when the weather is wonderful.​ Three steps you can take now to be ready later:

1. Keep on hand a minimum of three days’ supply of food, prescriptions and water.
2. Have a stock of fresh batteries.
3. Make sure your phone’s emergency alerts are turned on.

Read more about emergency preparedness at aarp.org.

Storm’s history

The hurricane center issued its first advisory about the gathering storm early on Sept. 5, noting sustained winds of 35 mph. It forecast that “Tropical Depression 13” would become a “major hurricane by this weekend” with winds reaching 140 mph. By the morning of Sept. 6, the center advised that Tropical Storm Lee had sustained winds of 70 mph and was expected to continue to intensify as it crossed “extremely warm waters."

On Friday, Sept. 8, Lee strengthened briefly to a Category 5 storm — the first of the 2023 season. It had sustained winds of around 165 mph and gusts near 185 mph.

Lee continued on its northwest course, passing north of the Leeward Islands. While its winds slowed, the storm grew larger with tropical storm-force winds extending 240 miles from its core late Tuesday, Sept. 12.

On Wednesday, Sept. 13, the National Hurricane Center issued hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge watches for most of New England due to the threat of damaging winds within the next 48 hours. 

Based on the established naming convention for major Atlantic storms, the next named storm after Lee would be Margot, followed by Nigel, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince and Whitney.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 7. It has been updated to reflect new information.