Hurricane Lee may approach Maine, New England: track

After briefly intensifying Friday into a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Lee weakened, returning to Category 2 status with 105 mph winds.

As the storm continues to move toward the northeastern Caribbean Sea, impacts to Maine and the rest of New England are likely.

As of 11 p.m., Saturday evening, Hurricane Lee was about 285 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph and was moving west-northwest at 9 mph.

Related: Latest maps and models for Hurricane Lee

Computer models show me on a fairly steady track heading north next week with an area of ​​concern for eastern New England and offshore Canada. However, it is too early to know what level of impacts will be felt in Maine as the storm is expected to slow significantly in the coming days.

How close it will be to Maine and the rest of New England depends on several weather features that will affect the storm as it moves north.

As Lee turns north, one scenario is that it moves along the route to New England or the Canadian maritime regions. The second scenario is that there is a surface trough that captures the storm and takes it out to sea.

Whatever Hurricane Lee’s path, large coastal waves are expected at this time.