Environment Canada release:
9:57 AM ADT Wednesday 13 September 2023
The next information statement will be issued at 3:00 PM ADT.
For Hurricane Lee
- Summary of basic information at 9:00 a.m. ADT.
Location: 26.0 North 67.0 West.
About 745 km south-southwest of Bermuda.
Maximum sustained winds: 185 kilometres per hour.
Present movement: North-northwest around 9 kilometres per hour.
Minimum central pressure: 948 millibars.
- Public weather impacts and warnings summary.
Hurricane Lee is now making the anticipated northward turn. The existing tropical airmass over Atlantic Canada will be further enhanced as the hurricane continues northward. This weather pattern will cause an approaching front over the Maritimes to become stationary and increase the risk of heavy rainfall over the Maritime provinces tomorrow and Friday prior to Lee’s arrival.
We expect Lee’s circulation to broaden significantly as it moves north and expect it to move into the Canadian marine district as a category-1 hurricane late Friday. It is looking likely that the forward motion of the storm will slow somewhat as it approaches land and while doing so, winds will start to decrease, the intensity will drop below hurricane strength and it will become post-tropical.
The track of Lee’s centre could range anywhere from Downeast Maine to Lunenburg County Nova Scotia. The current official track is just west of Yarmouth as a tropical storm just below hurricane strength and becoming post-tropical.
Also note that after the eventual slow-down in forward motion, Lee’s trajectory is expected to shift from northerly to northeasterly. Since it will be a rather broad system, the rain, wind, waves, etc will likely affect most of the Maritime provinces and parts of eastern Quebec as well as neighboring waters to varying extent. Lee will be much- weakened before reaching Newfoundland.
The trend in computer model guidance has been a somewhat faster approach speed (as it passes Cape Cod) and sooner arrival time in the region as well as a farther-west trend in the track likelihood. NOTE: A faster approach speed would increase the wind threat over western Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick than a slower-moving storm. As of now, western Nova Scotia has the highest possibility of impacts which is worth noting since that region wasn’t impacted as severely as other parts of the region during recent storms like Dorian and Fiona.
With the expanding size of the hurricane and a long trajectory northward, building surf conditions and rip currents are expected along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia over the coming days – particularly on Friday.
a. Wind.
Breakdown of winds and impacts will appear here in later bulletins. Most likely region for impacts: western Nova Scotia.
b. Rainfall.
Breakdown of rainfall and impacts will appear here in later bulletins. Most likely region for heaviest rain: western New Brunswick and northward into the Rimouski-Mont-Joli-Baie-Comeau areas.
c. Surge/Waves.
Breakdown of surge/waves and impacts will appear here in later bulletins. Most likely region for impacts: Atlantic coastal Nova Scotia and areas around the Bay of Fundy.
- Marine weather impacts and warnings summary.
Breakdown of marine conditions will appear here in later bulletins. Greatest waves and winds expected around the Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine and southwest Maritime marine district.
Forecaster: Fogarty
Please continue to monitor alerts issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
For more comprehensive information about track tables and forecast rationale, please see the Technical Discussion
Visit the Canadian Hurricane Centre to learn more about hurricanes.