It’s still busy out there in the Atlantic with two named storms and another area to watch near Africa. Here’s the latest in the tropics:
Hurricane Lee
Lee is no longer a major hurricane as it crawls north of the Caribbean. As of the 5PM Wednesday advisory, Lee has 105 mph winds, making it a category 2 storm. It is moving to the north-northwest at 10 mph. Lee will pass west of Bermuda, but as a large storm, tropical storm conditions are still expected on the island beginning Thursday morning.
A hurricane watch has been issued for portions of Maine’s coast, while a tropical storm watch has been issued for a majority of New England’s coast. A storm surge watch has also been issued for coastal southeastern Massachusetts, where the latest storm surge forecast has up to 4 feet of inundation.
It is forecast to continue to weaken before making landfall this weekend. While the winds will likely be below hurricane strength as it nears landfall, it will still be a powerful, impactful storm for the area. Tropical storm-force winds will down trees and cause power outages, while heavy rain will likely lead to inland flooding.
As of the latest update from the hurricane center, landfall would be possible from Rockland, Maine to Halifax late Saturday.
Hurricane Margot
Margot remains a category 1 hurricane in the central Atlantic. It will continue to move to the north, gradually falling apart over the north Atlantic this weekend.
Other areas to watch
Models are hinting that a disturbance off the coast of Africa could very well be the next named storm of the season. Development will likely be gradual with this, but the NHC says there is a high chance this is able to develop into at least a tropical depression over the next 7 days. It is forecast to track to the northwest, staying well north of the Caribbean. It does not appear to be a threat to us here in SWFL, and likely won’t threaten the United States as a whole either.
The next name on the list would be Nigel. Regardless of development, we’ll be watching it closely. Stick with ABC7 as we continue to track the tropics through the remainder of hurricane season.