Lee
2023 Atlantic Hurricane SeasonOverview
Hurricane Lee rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane in just 24 hours, becoming one of the fastest-intensifying Atlantic hurricanes on record. It eventually made landfall in Maine as a post-tropical cyclone, causing widespread power outages across New England and Atlantic Canada.
🧭 What This Means For You
💨 How dangerous was this wind?
Winds 157+ mph (252+ km/h). Catastrophic damage. A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse.
Compare: a typical car crash at 70 mph feels violent — imagine 165 mph sustained winds.
💰 What was the human cost?
To put this in perspective: $50M could fund thousands of rebuilding projects, or cover years of flood insurance premiums for an entire coastal county.
5 people lost their lives — behind every number is a family, a home, and a community that had to rebuild.
✅ What you can do today
- Check your emergency kit — water, food, medicine, batteries
- Know your evacuation route and shelter locations
- Sign up for free alerts so you are never caught off guard
Storm Path
Storm Track Data
| Time (UTC) | Latitude | Longitude | Wind (mph) | Pressure (mb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-09-05 06:00 UTC | 14°N | 50°W | 40 | 1002 |
| 2023-09-06 06:00 UTC | 14.5°N | 53°W | 75 | 984 |
| 2023-09-07 06:00 UTC | 15°N | 56°W | 130 | 952 |
| 2023-09-08 00:00 UTC | 16°N | 58°W | 165 | 926 |
| 2023-09-09 06:00 UTC | 18.5°N | 62°W | 145 | 944 |
| 2023-09-11 06:00 UTC | 23°N | 67°W | 115 | 960 |
| 2023-09-13 06:00 UTC | 30°N | 70°W | 90 | 966 |
| 2023-09-15 06:00 UTC | 37°N | 69°W | 70 | 972 |
| 2023-09-16 12:00 UTC | 44°N | 68°W | 55 | 978 |
Data Source
Track data from NOAA National Hurricane Center. Last updated: 2023-09-16.