Currently — September 8, 2023: Hurricane Lee churns toward the record books

The weather, currently.

The 2023 hurricane season continues on a hyperactive pace.

On Thursday, Hurricane Lee underwent textbook rapid intensification from a Category 1 to a Category 4 in just 12 hours. It’s expected to become a Category 5 on Friday — and potentially one of the strongest hurricanes ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Tropical Storm Margot also formed on Thursday, way out off the coast of Africa — the season’s 14th storm of the year so far, matching the historical average for an entire season with nearly a week to go until the season’s midpoint.

Since Atlantic records began in 1851, only three other season have had 14 named storms this early in the year — 2005, 2011, 2020. Only 1933, 2004, and 2005 have had 3 or more Cat 4+ hurricanes so early in the year. If you know your hurricanes, you know that those seasons are not the ones you want to be compared against.

It’s likely that Hurricane Lee will stay relatively safely offshore for at least the next 7 days or so, although some models have it coming worryingly close to New England or Atlantic Canada by September 17th or 18th.

— Eric Holthaus

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