Forecasters are keeping an eye on yet another storm in the Atlantic Ocean.
Tropical storm Lee is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Lee is expected to become a hurricane later on Wednesday and rapidly intensify into an “extremely dangerous major” storm by Saturday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Centre.
By that time, according to the latest forecast, maximum sustained winds are expected to be around 240 kilometres per hour, which would make it a strong Category 4 storm.
Forecasters said the storm could impact the northern Leeward Islands this weekend, but it is too soon to say exactly what those impacts could be.
Lee is the latest storm in what forecasters were predicting would be an above-average hurricane season. The average number of named storms to this date is seven, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
In August, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its updated hurricane forecast, projecting a much busier season than first anticipated.
NOAA is now predicting 14 to 21 named storms, of which six to 11 could become hurricanes. Of those, two to five could become major hurricanes of category three or higher.
An average hurricane season produces 14 named storms, of which seven become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
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