Forecasters are warning Hurricane Lee may bring dangerous rip currents and surf conditions along the East Coast this week.
Lee remained a Category 3 storm as of Tuesday as it barrels northward past the Caribbean region. While the storm is not expected to make landfall this week, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said that “dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents” may affect islands in the Caribbean as well as most of the East Coast.
The forecasters wrote that the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda are already experiencing large swells. The storm caused waves more than 15 feet high in the region.
The center also issued a tropical storm watch for Bermuda, warning Lee could bring strong winds, rainfall and high surf to the island. The forecasters noted it is “too soon” to know what additional impacts Lee could have along the East Coast for the rest of the week, but they advised residents to monitor storm updates in the next coming days.
Forecasters said that the storm is expected to pass to the west of Bermuda in a few days before turning north. While Lee is expected to slowly weaken, the center warned it will remain a strong and large hurricane.
This storm comes after numerous hurricanes have already developed in the Atlantic during the start of what is expected to be a busy hurricane season.