Lee Becomes Powerful Category 5 Hurricane

Hurricane Lee has become a “dangerous” Category 5 storm over the Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced late Thursday.

An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter found that the hurricane “skyrocketed” to the high end of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale during the day with sustained maximum winds of 160 miles per hour, the federal agency explained in an 11 p.m. ET discussion post.

The storm is expected to maintain a “steady” track to the west-northwest, passing “well to the north” of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the next five days, NHC said.

During that period, Lee may slightly diminish to Category 4 status, which would still keep it as a major hurricane with the potential for “catastrophic” damage, according to

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