Turbulent conditions in the Atlantic are on Bloomberg Green’s radar today.
(Bloomberg) — Hurricane Lee’s winds are dropping but its size continues to swell as it comes north toward New England and the Canadian Maritimes where the storm will bring coastal flooding and possible widespread power outages through the weekend.Lee’s top winds dropped to 100 miles per hour, making it a Category 2 hurricane on the five-step, Saffir-Simpson scale, the US National Hurricane Center said in an early Thursday advisory. Tropical storm and hurricane watches reach from Rhode Island to Nova Scotia. Lee’s size and path will lead to some far-reaching effects, said Rob Carolan, owner of Hometown Forecast Services. Bermuda will also get raked by Lee’s winds as it passes Thursday.As it move past Massachusetts the hurricane’s counter-clockwise motion will push storm surge into Cape Cod Bay threatening communities south of Boston, said Carolan, who provides forecasts for Bloomberg Radio. “A storm surge warning in Cape Cod Bay is not something we usually see,” he said.Winds will start to pick up across southern New England, including Boston, about 8 p.m. Friday and about 3 a.m. Saturday in eastern Maine and New Brunswick, where it is likely to come ashore later in the day. Wind shear and dry air will continue to weaken Lee as it comes north, but the storm had reached Category 5 power on Sept. 8 with 165-mph winds, making it 2023’s strongest Atlantic storm. It is likely that Lee will transition into a post-tropical storm as it comes ashore in Canada, however it will still be dangerous despite its changed structure.
So far the ocean has produced 14 storms, including an unnamed system in January. In an average year only about nine would have formed by now, said Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, in a social media posting.
It is likely another Atlantic storm will emerge in the next few days.
In other weather news:
Europe: The continent’s autumn heat will persist through next week, accompanied by severe thunderstorms and heavy rain from Spain to Germany. Paris will peak at 29.5C (85F) on Saturday, with London at 25.5C, according to Maxar Technologies Inc. While temperatures across most of France and Germany will remain above the seasonal average for the coming 10 days, the UK will be near the norm next week as more unsettled weather from the Atlantic brings strong winds and rain.
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