Hurricane Lee: Not a threat, but still monitor the storm

The Antigua and Barbuda Met Office is advising residents of Antigua and Barbuda
that whilst Hurricane Lee is not forecasted to be a threat to the country, everyone
should remain vigilant and continue to monitor the movement of the very powerful
storm.
The Met Office said the 5:00 pm forecast on Thursday indicated that the storm was
located at 16.9 degrees north and 51.3 degrees west or about 780 miles east of the
Northern Leeward Islands. The storm was packing winds at 130 miles per hour
with hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles from the centre and tropical storm
winds extending up to 140 miles from the centre. The storm is moving west-
northwest at 15 miles per hour.
“We are anticipating that there will be swells from Friday night to Monday, or
even longer, as a result of the storm. There will be no significant showers.
However, there could be gusty winds associated with the passing showers,” a
spokesman stated.
The Met Office forecast puts the storm passing closest to Antigua and Barbuda at
approximately 2:00 pm on Sunday at an estimated 300 miles to the north. This
would be well outside the reach of even tropical storm winds.
The spokesman said the Met Office is not likely to issue any watches or warnings
associated with the storm. However, the spokesman cautioned that the weather is
dynamic, and all residents should continue to monitor the movement of the storm,
in the unlikely event that there is any shift, it is a forward projection.
“As of the latest forecast, we appear to be in the clear, but we would still advise to
continue paying close attention to the storm’s westward movement over the next
few days,” he declared.