Millions Watch Wait to See What The Dangerous Storm Will do Days Ahead. Why?

Incredible': Hurricane Lee's winds doubled in a day; they could reach 180 mph or more

Story by Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY •47m

Hurricane Lee barreled westward with more than 165 mph winds Friday morning after exploding  in intensity on Thursday doubling its wind speeds in just 24 hours.

Hundreds of miles from land, the Category 5 hurricane is forecast to climb to 180 mph winds Friday, an extremely powerful storm making the most of a warm, open ocean and light winds.

High surf and life-threatening rip currents are expected to arrive along the islands in the northeastern Millions watch and wait to see what the dangerous storm will do in the days ahead. Caribbean by Friday and remain through the weekend, the National Hurricane Center said. 

Where is Hurricane Lee?

At 5 a.m. Friday, Lee was 630 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, moving west-northwest at 14 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.Satellite images show a classic major hurricane, with a clear visible eye, and its central pressure had dropped to 926 millibars.Hurricane-force winds extend out as far as 30 miles from the center of the storm and tropical storm-force winds extend out up to 140 miles.Wave heights near the center of the storm are 45-50 feet.