A storm threat exists for the weekend near or along the east coast with the potential of a widespread soaking rain event featuring persistent and strong onshore winds. Low pressure looks like it will form late this week just off the Southeast US coastline over very warm waters of the southwestern Atlantic and likely take on “tropical” characteristics. With high pressure expected to build to its north and east, this low pressure system should push northward right through the eastern states. Whether or not this system becomes classified as “tropical” remains to be seen; however, the end result could be the same with heavy rain and strong winds on the table.
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Hurricane Lee has weakened in recent hours and is now classified as a category 1 “minimal” hurricane as it heads on a northerly track. It is likely to be downgraded to tropical storm status (or “post-tropical”) by the weekend as it moves over colder waters of the NW Atlantic and reaches higher latitudes near coastal Maine/Atlantic Canada. However, Hurricane Lee remains a large storm and its pressure gradient field will remain intense likely resulting in an impact that will be felt across eastern New England and Atlantic Canada with powerful winds and heavy rainfall. Hurricane-force winds are on the table along coastal Maine and Atlantic Canada with tropical storm force winds likely along coastal Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The expected track of Hurricane Lee will place the storm right near or over the Bay of Fundy by later Saturday – a bay known for its extremely high tides and tremendous tidal variations.
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Hurricane Lee remains as a “major” category 3 system and has begun its turn to the north as it becomes increasingly influenced by an upper-level trough over the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley. This turn to the north will come with gradually increasing forward speed and will bring Hurricane Lee to the west of Bermuda on Thursday where there will be tropical storm conditions. As an upper-level ridge intensifies over the NW Atlantic late in the week, Hurricane Lee may actually take a turn slightly to the left which will bring it close to southeastern New England. Hurricane Lee is then likely to become “post-tropical” as it potentially reaches coastal Maine/New Brunswick later in the weekend. Despite movement over colder waters before its landfall and a likely slight weakening in central pressure, the pressure gradient will remain intense between this powerful storm system and intensifying high pressure to the north. As a result, a significant impact is possible this weekend from eastern New England to Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia) with torrential rains and hurricane-force winds on the table.
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The climatological peak of the Atlantic Basin tropical season is right around this time of year and it is certainly living up to its billing. Lee remains a category 3 “major’ hurricane today and continues to move slowly on a west-northwest track over very warm waters of the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It will soon take a turn to the north as it becomes increasingly influenced by an upper-level trough that will build over the eastern states. Lee will likely have a significant impact on eastern New England this weekend with heavy rains and strong winds as it pushes towards Maine or Nova Scotia as a tropical storm or a “post-tropical” system. Elsewhere in the Atlantic Basin, Margot has reached hurricane status; however, its future looks rather harmless as it likely weakens on its northward trek to a position over the Northern Atlantic. Another tropical system is located over the eastern Atlantic and it should intensify in coming days as it pushes over some very warm waters of the tropical Atlantic.
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The climatological peak of the Atlantic Basin tropical season is right around this time of year and it is certainly living up to its billing. Lee is a category 3 “major’ hurricane today and continues to move slowly on a west-northwest track over very warm waters of the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It will take a turn to the north later in the week as it becomes increasingly influenced by an upper-level trough that will build over the central and eastern states. Lee will likely have a significant impact on eastern New England this weekend with heavy rains and strong winds as it pushes towards Maine or Nova Scotia as a tropical storm or “post-tropical” system.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Basin, Tropical Storm Margot may indeed reach hurricane status in the near-term; however, its future looks rather harmless as it likely stays over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Another tropical system has just pushed off the west coast of Africa and is now located over the far eastern Atlantic. It is likely that this system intensifies in coming days and may ultimately present a threat to the US east coast sometime later this month.
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Lee is intensifying rapidly and is likely to become a “major” hurricane later in the day as a category 3 or even higher. The overall environment is very favorable for the strengthening of Lee with the relaxation of wind shear as it moves underneath an upper-level ridge and its WNW trek continues over very warm waters of the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane Lee has been on a consistent path to the WNW and that should bring it to a position north of the northern Leeward Islands this weekend.
By early next week, the west-to-northwest path of Lee should change to a northerly direction which would reduce the chances of a direct impact on the US east coast. However, any small deviation in the timing or magnitude of this potential “turn” can have significant implications downstream. Two systems that will likely play a big role in the ultimate track of Lee are many days away from even forming. They include an upper-level trough that may develop over the Ohio Valley/eastern US later next week and an upper-level ridge that may intensify over southeastern Canada/NW Atlantic.
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Tropical Storm Lee is on the door step of “category 1” hurricane classification and all indications are that it will continue to intensify and reach “major” hurricane status by the weekend. In fact, the expected significant intensification of Lee could result in the storm climbing all the way to “category 5” classification sometime this weekend or early next week. The overall environment becomes very favorable for the strengthening of Lee with a relaxation of wind shear and a west-to-northwest trek over very warm waters of the tropical Atlantic. By early next week, the west-to-northwest path of Lee could change to a northerly direction which would reduce the chances of a direct impact on the US east coast. However, two systems that will likely dictate the ultimate storm track of Lee are many days away from even forming. They include an upper-level trough that may form over the Ohio valley/eastern US and upper-level ridge that may intensify over southeastern Canada/NW Atlantic. It is simply too early to say how this upper air pattern will unfold; therefore, too early to say if Lee can indeed directly impact the US east coast.
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A tropical wave that pushed off of Africa’s west coast several days ago has officially become tropical depression #13 in the Atlantic Ocean. This system is likely to reach named tropical storm status within 24 hours or so (will be named Lee) and very well could intensify to “major” hurricane status by the upcoming weekend. The overall environment will become increasingly conducive for intensification of the soon-to-be named tropical system in coming days as it continues on a long track across the Atlantic Ocean. Wind shear will relax as an upper-level ridge builds nearby and it’ll move over very warm waters to the east of the Lesser Antilles. Looking ahead, it appears this system may push to the northeast of the Lesser Antilles - avoiding the Caribbean Sea - and then head on a course towards the US east coast as a “major” hurricane. Whether or not this developing tropical storm ever reaches the US east coast is simply too early to call.
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Most would agree that the timing couldn’t be any better. In what has been an overall very comfortable summer in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast US, the traditional end to the season will feature strong high pressure in control leading to an extended stretch of dry weather to include the Labor Day holiday weekend. Temperatures will start off very comfortable for the first part of this period; however, they’ll climb to very warm levels by the early part of next week.
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Hurricane Idalia continues to intensify today as it encounters more favorable environmental conditions with diminished wind shear and it is likely to attain “major” classification of category 3 or higher before making landfall early tomorrow along Florida’s Gulf coast. Hurricane Idalia will then turn northeast, weaken slowly, and push towards the Carolina coastline as it becomes increasingly influenced by building high pressure ridging aloft to its west and north. As a result of the developing widespread upper-level ridge, Idalia will likely meander over the western Atlantic Ocean for several days and there is even an outside chance that it could loop back around to revisit Florida in a weakened state about a week from now. Meanwhile, Hurricane Franklin maintains status as a category 4 “major” system. It will pass to the northwest of Bermuda on Wednesday bringing tropical storm conditions to the island. After that, Hurricane Franklin will push northeastward to the open waters of the North Atlantic as southwesterly flow ahead of an incoming upper-level trough steers it in that direction.
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