Hurricane Lee’s dangerous rip currents threaten local beaches; other systems brew in the Atlantic

ORLANDO, Fla. — Eyes remain on the tropics — namely Hurricane Lee — as we head into the weekend.

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On Friday, Lee remained a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

The National Hurricane Center said Lee could unleash tropical storm-force winds across parts of New England and Atlantic Canada.

Downed trees and possible power outages are possible for those areas Friday night and Saturday.

READ: Friday: Partly cloudy to start, stormy finish expected for Central Florida

Along the U.S. East Coast, beach conditions will be dangerous throughout the weekend.

Meteorologist Brian Shields said seas off Central Florida’s beaches are high and the risk for rip currents is also high.

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Exercise extreme caution if you’re heading to our beaches over the next several days.

In other tropical activity, Shields said Nigel is expected to form in the Central Atlantic but should not pose a threat to land.

He added that there’s another area coming off the coast of Africa that is expected to develop next week.

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This is simply something to keep an eye on for now, Shields said.

Channel 9′s meteorologists will continue to monitor the tropics and provide updates on Eyewitness News.

Morning forecast: Friday, Sept. 15 (Brian Shields, WFTV.com/WFTV)

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