At 11 a.m. Hurricane Lee is a weaker storm

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The record-breaking Atlantic Hurricane Lee has weakened a bit but remains a powerful Category 4 storm.

The eye wall has filled with clouds for a time this morning but has recently reappeared. The storm appears to be influenced by a southwest shearing wind that may further limit it development.

Intensity remains one of the hardest characteristics of a hurricane to predict, and the National Hurricane Center says to expect some fluctuations in intensity over the next few days, which is not uncommon in strong hurricanes.

It looks to pass north of Puerto Rico but the island will still see large swells and dangerous rip currents with possible tropical storm force winds as it moves by the island this weekend. All models are in fairly good agreement as to the movement over the next three days moving it to the west-northwest.

Long-range models show it continuing on that course and then making a break to the north by the middle of next week. It’s still too early to say if it will have a direct impact on the United States at this time.

It remains important to watch this system closely over the weekend.