🌀 Lee · Category 5 · 165 mph

Tuesday, September 5, 2023 · 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Hurricane Lee was a long-lived and intense tropical cyclone that impacted Bermuda, the Northeastern United States, and Eastern Canada in September 2023. Lee formed on September 5 from a tropical wave that had moved offshore from West Africa into the tropical Atlantic a few days earlier. A strong steering current caused the storm to track northwestward, far from the northern Leeward Islands. Highly favorable conditions enabled Lee to rapidly intensify to a Category 5 hurricane on September 7; its winds increased by 80 mph (130 km/h) in 24 hours. This makes it the sixth‑fastest rapid intensification on record in the Atlantic, only behind Hurricane Wilma in 2005, Hurricane Felix in 2007, Hurricane Erin in 2025, Hurricane Milton in 2024, and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Just as quickly however, Lee's strength waned, and it fluctuated in intensity for several days on account of strong wind shear and multiple eyewall replacement cycles. Category 5 hurricane: peak winds of 165 mph (145 knots), lowest pressure 926 mb. September 5 – September 18, 2023. Landfall: September 16 at 65 mph, 44.3°N 66.3°W. Accumulated cyclone energy: 36.7. Wiki link Track: NOAA National Hurricane Center, HURDAT2 best track AL132023 (public domain).

🌀 Lee · Category 5 · 165 mph