Could Hurricane Lee impact the US? Here’s when it’s supposed to turn

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane Lee remained a major hurricane Saturday morning as it continued its northwestward path through the Atlantic Ocean.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Lee was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. It was moving west-northwest at 12 mph.

Located about 385 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands, Lee is expected to continue its current path as it slows down early next week.

The NHC said while several Caribbean nations will experience swells from the hurricane, Lee will be traveling “well to the north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico into early next week.”

However, as it continues getting closer to the United States, forecasters say any potential impacts will depend on when it will turn.

“The critical day will come Wednesday as Lee is expected to turn north, away from Florida,” Max Defender 8 Meteorologist Amanda Holly said. “The timing of this turn is still somewhat in question. Although it is expected to turn well before it reaches the Bahamas and Florida, a slightly later turn could lead to impacts along the east or northeast coast of the United States but it is too early to say what or where.”

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Margot is on track to become the season’s next hurricane as it continues heading west-northwest at 143 mph in the tropical eastern Atlantic.

As of the 5 a.m. update, the tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, but it is expected to gain strength into early next week.

The NHC’s static cone map predicts Margot will become a hurricane Monday afternoon but not before it makes a turn north into the middle of the Atlantic, keeping it away from the United States.