Hurricane Lee continues to strengthen and is now a Category 2 storm with winds of 105 mph. It is now forecast to become a powerful Category 5 (160 mph) on Friday as it sits just NE of the Leeward Islands. Fortunately, the forecast track takes it north of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola through next Tuesday morning where it will continue to be a dangerous storm.

Extended forecast models continue to show it turning north before the Bahamas as it moves along an area of high pressure in the Central Atlantic. On this track, it will move between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda next week. This will come very close to Bermuda as a major hurricane.

Invest 96L is now Tropical Depression 14 near the Cabo Verde Islands. Forecast models want to strengthen this into Tropical Storm Margot later today, and then become a hurricane on Sunday. It will track northwest and then turn north on Sunday across the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.