Hurricane Lee rapidly intensified to Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale over Atlantic Ocean east of the Northern Leeward Islands on Thursday. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Hurricane Lee was located at latitude 17.3°N and longitude 52.4°W which put it about 705 miles (1135 km) east of the Northern Leeward Islands. Lee was moving toward the west-northwest at 14 m.p.h. (22 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 160 m.p.h. (260 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 190 m.p.h. (240 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 928 mb.

A circular eye with a diameter of 17 miles (28 km) was at the center of Hurricane Lee. A ring of thunderstorms surrounded the eye and the strongest winds were occurring in the ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Lee’s circulation. Storms near the core generated strong upper level divergence that pumped large quantities of mass away from the hurricane. The removal of large amounts of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease rapidly.

Hurricane Lee rapidly intensified to Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale on Thursday. Winds to hurricane force extended out 45 miles (75 km) from the center of Lee’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 140 miles (220 km) from the center of circulation. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) was 35.0. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 13.4 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 48.4.

Hurricane Lee will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Lee will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C. It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear. Hurricane Lee could continue to intensify during the next 24 hours.

Hurricane Lee will move around the southern side of a subtropical high pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Lee toward the west-northwest during the next 36 hours. On its anticipated track, Hurricane Lee could be northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands by Friday night.

Elsewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Margot was spinning west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Tropical Storm Margot was located at latitude 16.8°N and longitude 29.3°W which put it about 355 miles (570 km) west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Margot was moving toward the west-northwest at 16 m.p.h. (26 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 40 m.p.h. (65 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 1004 mb.