Tracking Hurricane Lee
September 10th marks the peak of hurricane season and it is no surprise that we are tracking Hurricane Lee. Lee skyrocketed to a category five hurricane on Friday with 165 mph winds. Due to a combination of wind shear and dry air, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Lee to a category two hurricane. Currently, the hurricane is regaining strength, and could reintensify into a category four as it spins through a more a favorable environment.
Lee is expected to to continue on a West North West trajectory the next three days, as a strong ridge steers the hurricane in that direction. However, the ridge weakens on Wednesday, which will allow Lee to make a sharp north turn. Beyond this time-frame, the uncertainty is high. There is a real chance that Lee brushes New England with some impacts. A track more west would put New England at risk for stormy conditions, while a track more east would reduce the impacts
For the Twin Tiers, Lee is likely to not significantly affect our weather conditions. Currently, we are forecasting a sunny weekend, which is very dependent Lee's track.