WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Tropical Storm Lee is still forecast to become a major hurricane by early Saturday as it churns in the Atlantic Ocean.
As of Wednesday morning, the storm is packing 70 mph winds and moving west, northwest at 14 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Lee is about 1,200 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands.
The storm is expected to continue to rapidly strengthen and become a hurricane later Wednesday before becoming a major hurricane in a few days. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center.
Swells from the storm are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents across portions of the Lesser Antilles late this week.
"It is too soon to determine exactly how close this system will be to the Leeward Islands by this weekend," the NHC said.
TRACKING THE TROPICS: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Guide
"It's not written in stone where it's going to go after that," WPTV First Alert Weather meteorologist James Wieland said. "Whether it will bother us or it's more likely to move north. However, it's something we still need to keep an eye on."
In addition, the NHC is monitoring a strong tropical wave, called Invest 96, located off the coast of west Africa. The system could also become a tropical depression over the far eastern Atlantic in the latter part of the week as it moves to the west-northwest at about 15 mph.
The system has a 60% chance of tropical cyclone formation over the next seven days.
Also, Post-Tropical Cyclone Franklin is a few hundred miles east, northeast of the Azores. Formation chance through seven days is 10%.
