Hurricane Lee rapidly intensifying, could reach category 5 strength by this weekend

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Hurricane Lee is now a category 2 storm and is expected to strengthen into a major storm later today or overnight.

At 11 a.m., the National Hurricane Center said the storm’s maximum sustained winds were up to 105 miles per hour with gusts up to 125 mph.

Lee is moving west-northwest and that is expected to continue through Friday. It is expected to slow over the weekend. The core of Lee will move north of the northern Leeward islands during the next few days.

Hurricane-force winds are being felt up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles.

While Lee is currently tracking toward the southern U.S. East Coast, long-term forecast models still show the storm making a northerly turn thanks in part to a front coming off the east coast of the United States. The ABC11 First Alert Weather Team continues to monitor all the data and will alert you if the storm poses a threat for North Carolina.