NEXT Weather: Hurricane Lee expected to bring hazardous beach conditions
MIAMI - The CBS News Miami NEXT Weather team is tracking Hurricane Lee in the Central Atlantic.
With the 11 p.m. Friday advisory, the center of Lee was about 440 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands.
It was moving to the west-northwest at 13 mph.
Lee is a powerful Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 115 mph. This was a drop from the 5 a.m. advisory when it had winds of 165 mph and was a Category 5 hurricane.
Lee is expected to bring hazardous beach conditions around the western Atlantic through next week
Fluctuations in intensity are likely over the next few days, but Lee is expected to remain a major hurricane through early next week.
Lee is expected to pass well to the north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the weekend and into early next week.
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.
CBS News Miami meteorologist Lissette Gonzalez said Lee is being steered right now by a ridge of high pressure in the Atlantic. A dip in the jet stream is forecast to lift it generally to the north early next week.
Gonzalez said right now it is expected to stay well to the east of South Florida.