Tropical Storm Lee could become Category 5 hurricane – live updates

As tropical storm Lee is set to intensify in the Atlanic, in the Pacific, tropical storm Jova is continuing to strengthen well off the southwest coast of Mexico, but posed no threat to land yet.

Jova had 70mph (110kmh) winds and was forecast to become a hurricane today, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was about 675 miles (1,085kms) south of the southern tip of Baja California and moving west-northwest at 9mph (15kph).

Tropical storm Lee is churning in the Atlantic, once again threatening the Caribbean and the US southeast coast, less than a week after Florida was battered by Category 3 Hurricane Idalia.

The remnants of Idalia, and another hurricane, Franklin, were causing strong ocean rip currents along the mid-Atlantic coast with at least eight deaths reported over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November, is forecast to be above average this year.

Between 14 to 21 named storms are forecast. Of those, six to 11 could become hurricanes, with two to five of them possibly becoming major hurricanes. Late August and early September are typically the season’s peak.

Ocean temperatures have hit historic highs this summer. Warming oceans fuel stronger tropical cyclones that bring more heavy rainfall and higher storm surge when they make landfall, according to Climate Central.

Preliminary forecasts are not predicting any landfall, although the centre warned that “it is too early to determine exactly how close this system will be to the Leeward Islands.”

Tropical storm Lee is forecast to strengthen into an “extremely dangerous” hurricane by Friday as it moves over very warm waters and pass just northeast of the Caribbean region, the centre said.

Meteorologist Ryan Maue suggested on X, formerly Twitter, that Lee could become a “monstrous storm” in the Category 4 or 5 range but travel “safely north” of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico.

Colin McCarthy, whose Twitter account US Stormwatch follows extreme weather globally, also wrote “the storm could reach historically strong levels” as it moves through “Atlantic waters still at record hot levels.”

Tropical storm Lee was located some 1,230 miles (1,980km) east of the Lesser Antilles a few hours ago with maximum sustained winds of 50mph (85kph).

The projected path of the tropical storm, according to NHC, shows it was moving west-northwest at 16mph (26kph) and could reach the Caribbean by this weekend.