QCOSTARICA — Hurricane Lee whirled through open waters on Thursday as forecasters warned it could become the first Category 5 storm of the Atlantic season.
Lee was not expected to make landfall while on a projected path that will take it near the northeast Caribbean, although forecasters said tropical storm conditions were possible on some islands. Meteorologists said it was too early to provide details on potential rainfall and wind gusts.
The Category 4 hurricane was about 1,260 kilometers east of the northern Leeward Islands. It had winds of up to 215 kilometers per hour and was moving west-northwest at 24 kph.
The storm was expected to grow even more powerful late Thursday and remain a major hurricane into next week.
“Lee continues to strengthen at an exceptional rate,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Lee is not expected to affect Costa Rica.
Costa Rica doesn’t get hurricanes too often, usually only about 4 times a year. They usually don’t actually come ashore though, most hurricanes only enter the country’s sphere of influence and turn northward before making landfall.
Read more: Rainy onslaught by Hurricane Eta batters Guanacaste
Hurricane Julia was the strongest to make landfall in Costa Rica in the last year, reaching a maximum wind speed of 139 km/h, around midnight on October 9, 2022, close to Los Chiles, in the northern zone.
Read more: Julia kills at least 28 in Central America