TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The National Hurricane Center is tracking two hurricanes and a disturbance with a 70 percent chance of development as the tropics continue to ramp up.
Hurricane Lee
The NHC said Hurricane Lee remains a large and powerful hurricane. The storm is currently a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph.
Lee is located about 575 miles south of Bermuda and is moving west-northwest near 7 mph.
Meteorologists said Lee is expected to slowly move west-northwest over the next day before it turns toward the north by midweek.
Forecasters believe Lee will pass to the west of Bermuda in a few days.
The NHC said Lee’s hurricane-force winds extend outward to up 80 miles from the center. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles.
Swells generated by Lee are affecting portions of the Lesser Antilles, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda.
The NHC said the swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Dangerous surf and rip current conditions are also impacting potions of the southeastern U.S. coast. The conditions are expected to spread northward along much of the U.S. East Coast over the next few days, the NHC said.
You can track Hurricane Lee’s movement with WFLA’s real-time wobble tracker.
Hurricane Margot
The NHC said Hurricane Margot is located about 935 miles southwest of the Azores.
It has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph with higher gusts.
Forecasters believe Margot will continue to strengthen over the next day or so. By Thursday, the NHC said it will begin to weaken.
The storm is not expected to impact land.
Area of interest
Meteorologists are watching two broad areas of low pressure over the eastern tropical Atlantic that are producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.
The lows are forecast to merge in a few days and the combined system is likely to become a tropical depression by this weekend, the NHC said.
The system will move west-northwest or northwestward at about 15 mph across the central tropical Atlantic.
The system has a 70 percent chance of formation over the next seven days.
Source: WFLA
