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The US National Hurricane Centre in its public advisory on Wednesday said Tropical Storm Lee had strengthened into a Category-1 hurricane, primarily due to the warm Atlantic, while sustaining wind speeds up to 75 mph. The forecaster said Lee is likely to intensify into an extremely dangerous major hurricane by early Saturday. 

"At 500 PM AST (2100 UTC), the centre of Hurricane Lee was located near latitude 14.9 North, longitude 46.4 West. Lee is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue for the next few days with a slight reduction in forward speed over the weekend," the forecast said.

Lee transformed into a tropical storm on Tuesday (September 5) after forming in the morning, whilst moving through extremely warm waters of the Atlantic. According to scientists, rapid intensification takes place when a storm's winds increase quickly over a short period of time. The phenomenon is usually aided by warm ocean waters. 

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Moving ahead, the storm has nearly all the ingredients required to become menacing in nature: Plenty of moisture, low wind shear and abnormally warm water along the entire stretch of the cyclone's projected path. Experts said if Lee tops wind speeds of 150 mph, it will be the most powerful hurricane to roam the region this year and will remain just 7 mph shy of Category 5.

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According to a CNN report, anyone in the eastern Caribbean – including the Leeward Islands such as Puerto Rico and Hispaniola – as well as the Bahamas will need to keep a close eye on the forecast.

Also read | Hurricane Idalia: US President Biden visits Florida to survey destruction, meets victims

Will it hit the US mainland?

The hurricane centre said it is too soon to call if the storm-turned-hurricane will impact the mainland US. However, the agency warned that even if the hurricane stays out, dangerous surf and rip currents could once again threaten the East Coast. 

"Swells generated by Lee are expected to reach portions of the Lesser Antilles on Friday and reach the British and US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this weekend. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," the advisory warned. 

Lee comes just a week after Hurricane Idalia smashed Haiti and parts of Florida.  It was the largest hurricane to hit the US state in more than a century, with wind speeds hovering around 125 mph, leaving 500,000 residents without any power for days on stretch. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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