Hurricane Lee taking aim at Atlantic Canada

The forecast track of hurricane lee as the storm approaches New England and Atlantic Canada this weekend. Lee is currently located 675 KM south, southwest of Bermuda. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the island nation, with gusty winds and up to 50mm of rain possible. (Canadian Hurricane Centre)

Once powerful category 5 hurricane Lee is forecast to approach the New England and Atlantic Canada coast over the upcoming weekend. Lee is located on Wednesday afternoon, 1635 kilometres south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Lee is moving north, northwest at 15km/h, with winds of 175 km/h, now category 2 strength. Forecasters expect Lee to turn towards the north while accelerating over the next 24 to 48 hours. Gradual weakening is expected, as the storm encounters much cooler ocean water, but Lee will remain a strong storm.

The storm is expanding in size as well, and remains very dangerous. Pounding surf and dangerous rip currents are expected along the entire eastern seaboard for the southeast US northward into Atlantic Canada.

A NOAA satellite image of powerful hurricane Lee in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, well south of New England on Wednesday afternoon.

At this time computer models have shifted the track of Lee westward, indicating a potential landfall west of Yarmouth, either on the New Brunswick coast or far down-east Maine. Heavy rainfall, strong winds and a dangerous storm surge are forecast along the immediate coastal area near landfall. As the storm expands in size, wind and rain will impact large portions of eastern New England, as well as far eastern Quebec, Nova Scoita, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. At landfall, Lee is expected to be a category one hurricane or strong tropical storm. The storm will move across the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and into Newfoundland by Sunday while weakening.

As far as southern Quebec is concerned, we will remain on the far western edge of any weather from Lee, with perhaps a few clouds and gusty northeast winds in the 30-50km/h range over the weekend. This forecast is subject to change for all regions depending on the final track of Lee, but at the moment, the models have been fairly consistent with the storm approaching the coast near the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, close to the Maine/New Brunswick border.