Hurricane Lee is making its way northeast toward the United States.
The storm is expected to bring potentially “life-threatening conditions” to parts of the northern Atlantic coast.
The National Hurricane Center, an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), is currently tracking two hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricanes Lee and Margot.
Hurricane Margot is not expected at this time to impact the United States.
Hurricane Lee is currently a category 2 hurricane with estimated maximum wind speeds of 100 miles per hour. The storm is making its way north at a speed of about 12 miles per hour.
Weather officials announced on September 14 that a tropical storm warning is already in effect for the island of Bermuda and that the storm had already brought heavy rain and high surf to the island.
The storm is expected to impact the mainland United States by this weekend.
“Hurricane conditions and coastal flooding are possible in portions of eastern Maine, southern New Brunswick, and western Nova Scotia on Saturday, and a Hurricane Watch is in effect for that area,” said the NOAA, in its September 14 update. “Heavy rainfall in these areas may produce localized urban and small stream flooding from Friday night into Saturday night.”
Portions of New England and Canada in the watch area may also experience tropical storm conditions with the onset of the weekend. These conditions could be extremely dangerous, according to the NOAA.
“There is the potential for life-threatening storm surge flooding in portions of southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and Nantucket, late Friday and Saturday, where a Storm Surge Watch is in effect,” the September 14 update warns.
The National Weather Service in Boston has already begun warning civilians in the coastal areas of the state of the coming hurricane. The organization expects the greatest area of impact to be in Cape Cod, where wind gusts are expected to range between 50 and 60 miles per hour.
Southwesterly wind shear is expected to contribute to the gradual weakening of the storm. However, weather officials still expect the storm to remain a “large and dangerous cyclone” as it approaches the Atlantic coast.