Why Hurricane Lee Is Growing Bigger - Scientific American
Hurricane Lee is no longer a Category 5 storm but has grown in size as it has trekked farther north
By Meghan Bartels on September 13, 2023
Hurricane Lee has churned itself into a sprawling storm, with hurricane-force winds stretching more than 100 miles in each direction from the eye of the storm as it heads northward, far off the East Coast of the U.S.
Although Lee became a Category 5 storm quite early, when it was still about 300 miles east of the Caribbean, it has since weakened, dropping to a Category 2 hurricane as of Wednesday afternoon. The drop in wind speed is no reason to get complacent, however, says Kristen Corbosiero, an atmospheric scientist at the University at Albany. “It doesn’t mean that the storm is less dangerous,” she says. “It’s not maybe getting to that original intensity, but the strong winds are over a much larger area. So more people, potentially, if it makes landfall, can be impacted.”
Currently, Lee is hundreds of miles off the coast of Florida and projected to head north until Friday. Forecasters predict it will make landfall at the end of the week, perhaps in New England but more likely in Atlantic Canada. Because of the storm’s breadth, however, its effects could stretch along a huge swath of the coast. “It’s not just a point on a map,” Corbosiero says. “Along the East Coast, anywhere from New Jersey northward and into coastal Canada, people should be definitely watching the forecast.” She adds that individuals these areas should expect strong rip currents at the very least.
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