In September, major Hurricane Lee had devastating impacts on the North Eastern sector of The United States, as well as the US Canadian border making it the first Category 5 storm to affect the United States.
Hurricane Lee started out as a tropical disturbance over the Atlantic Ocean during its cycle presenting a 60% chance of overall development within the days to come. Over the next few days, various forecast models were in agreement that Hurricane Lee will be a storm to watch out for.
As Lee intensified, Lee reached tropical storm status on September 5. Within 24 hours, the storm got upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph. As the storm continued on its track, it began to pose a threat to the East Coast of the United States. Although there was concern for some parts of the United States, it was still too far in advance to make any drastic predictions.
While Lee continued to progress through its track, it later intensified to Category 5 status with sustained winds of 165 mph on September 7. This made Lee the third fastest rapid hurricane intensification on record in the Atlantic.
As Lee persisted, meteorologists noticed a shift in the storm’s track. Hurricane Lee’s path was projected to hit the Eastern part of Nova Scotia on September 15. As the storm got closer to Nova Scotia, the National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm warnings to the vast majority of the area, warning civilians of possible storm surge and coastal flooding.
On September 16, Lee weakened considerably to Tropical Storm status. As the storm concluded, Hurricane Lee left a huge impact on Nova Scotian communities and parts of the United States. According to multiple news sources, Lee contributed to one fatality and left thousands without electricity.