At 5:00 p.m. the clear eye of Hurricane Lee was located near latitude 16.9 North, longitude 51.3 West. Lee is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph. The hurricane will continue moving in this direction for the next several days while gradually slowing down its forward speed. On the forecast track, the core of Lee will move north of the northern Leeward Islands during the next several days.
Maximum sustained winds have rapidly increased to near 130 mph with higher gusts. Lee is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Additional strengthening is expected tonight.
Fluctuations in intensity are expected after that, but Lee is forecast to remain a powerful major hurricane well into next week.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 953 mb or 28.15 inches.
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 Bahamas, and Bermuda this weekend. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Dangerous surf and rip currents are expected to begin along most of the U.S. East Coast beginning Sunday.