JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At 11:00 p.m. the center of Hurricane Lee was located near latitude 23.9 North, longitude 64.8 West. Lee is moving toward the west-northwest near 7 mph and this motion is expected to continue.
MORE: A surfers forecast for Hurricane Lee
Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph with higher gusts. Lee is a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely over the next few days, however Lee is expected to weaken this week.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles.
The minimum central pressure based on dropsonde data is 964 mb or 28.46 inches.
Swells generated by Lee are expected to reach portions of the Lesser Antilles on Friday and reach the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, and Bermuda this weekend. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Dangerous surf and rip currents are expected to begin along most of the U.S. East Coast beginning Sunday.