NEXT Weather: Tropical Storm Lee expected to quickly intensify to dangerous hurricane
MIAMI – The CBS News Miami NEXT Weather team is tracking Tropical Storm Lee which formed Tuesday afternoon between Western Africa and the Windward Islands.
The National Hurricane Center expects the storm to rapidly intensify into an extremely dangerous hurricane by the weekend.
CBS News Miami
At 11 p.m. Tuesday, the storm was about 1,230 miles east of the Lesser Antilles with sustained winds of 50 mph.
It is forecast to move west-northwest at 15 to 20 miles per hour. It will likely be a hurricane in a couple of days and could become a major hurricane in a few more days.
Forecast models indicate it will likely be near or to the northeast of the northern Leeward Islands by Saturday or Sunday.
According to CBS News Miami Chief Meteorologist and Hurricane Specialist Ivan Cabrera Lee is forecast to turn to the north and away from the US coast. However, it may skirt the northern Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico.
Cabrera said there are no global computer models that show Lee as a threat to the US. The only uncertainty is when it will take a turn to the north.
