Lee poses no threat to land in the near future, forecasters say.
Tropical Storm Lee formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on Saturday (Sept.16) morning, far from land and little threat to anything but shipping, according to forecasters with the National Hurricane Center.
Lee was located about 655 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands off the coast of Africa, and had maximum sustained winds of only 40 mph as it moved west at 12 mph. Little change in strength is expected during the next two days.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend out about 70 miles from the center of the storm.
“The cyclone appears to be located in a sweet spot of relatively low shear, with much stronger upper-level westerly winds located not too far to the north, and it may be able to thread the needle of lower shear for another 36 hours or so,” said Hurricane Specialist Robbie Berg in a 10 a.m. forecast discussion message. “After that time, the westerlies drop southward, and Lee will likely be hammered by 30 knots of westerly shear by 48 hours. With all that in mind, Lee is forecast to strengthen only slightly over the next day or so, with weakening expected to begin by day 3.”
Berg said Lee is south of a weak mid-level ridge of high pressure and is expected to move west or to the northwest during the next five days. While some models predict the storm will move northward, Berg said, Lee’s low intensity and its expected weakening will result in a path farther south.
Sustained winds are expected to increase to 45 mph later Saturday, but it should drop to 30 mph at the end of five days and become a post-tropical system or remnant low.
