Hurricane Lorenzo Becomes a Category 5 – Strongest Hurricane on Record So Far North and East in the Atlantic Ocean



Lorenzo has now weakened but is still a danger to the Azores Tuesday night or early Wednesday, while Lorenzo’s post-tropical remnant may end up in western Europe later in the week.

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Hurricane Lorenzo Now

Hurricane and tropical storm watches have been issued for the Azores ahead of Hurricane Lorenzo’s close swipe by the northeast Atlantic islands early this week.

Lorenzo has weakened from its brief stint as a Category 5 hurricane over the weekend, smashing a record for the easternmost Atlantic hurricane to attain such a strong intensity.

But Lorenzo should still bring a burst of strong winds, locally heavy rain and pounding surf to the Azores.

Lorenzo’s Record Eastern Atlantic Intensity

Lorenzo rapidly deepened Saturday from Category 3 status with estimated maximum sustained winds of 115 mph at 11 a.m. EDT to Category 5 status with winds of 160 mph just 12 hours later.

This is by far the farthest east in the Atlantic Ocean any of the previous 35 Category 5 hurricanes have occurred in records dating to the 1920s.

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Hurricane Lorenzo records: Lorenzo became a Category 5 hurricane on Sept. 28, 2019, farther east than any previous Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record.

National Hurricane Center forecaster Eric Blake noted Lorenzo became a Category 5 hurricane almost 650 miles farther east than the previous easternmost Category 5 hurricane, Hugo in 1989.

Lorenzo also had the lowest pressure for a hurricane east of 50 degrees west longitude on record Saturday evening.

Moreover, it has been a major hurricane for the longest period of time east of 45 degrees west longitude on record.

Lorenzo was the second Category 5 hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season and the sixth such top-end hurricane to form in the Atlantic Basin in a little less than three years, following Matthew, Irma, Maria, Michael and Dorian.

Lorenzo Forecast

Lorenzo has since weakened from its lofty perch, but it is forecast to pass near the Azores Tuesday night or Wednesday as a still formidabl hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) mentioned Lorenzo’s wind field is large, increasing the chances it may impact the group of Portuguese islands about 900 miles west of Portugal.

A hurricane watch has been issued in the Azores for Flores, Corvo, Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira. That means hurricane conditions (74-plus mph winds) are possible within 48 hours.

There is also a tropical storm watch posted for Sao Miguel and Santa Maria. That means tropical storm conditions (39-plus mph winds) are possible within 48 hours.

Heavy rain from Lorenzo may also lead to life-threatening flash flooding in the Azores late Tuesday into Wednesday.

Hurricane Lorenzo forecast for the next few days: Azores and then UK.

After it passes the Azores, it will lose its tropical characteristics but still be a powerful storm. What remains of Lorenzo may bring a blast of strong winds, rain and pounding surf to Ireland and the United Kingdom later this week.

From the History Books


Ophelia passed south the Azores as a Category 3 hurricane in mid-October 2017 and produced tropical-storm-force winds (39-plus mph), downing a fe trees and triggering some minor flooding, according to the NHC’s final report.



Lorenzo’s large circulation is generating swells over much of the North Atlantic Ocean that will lead to dangerous surf at the beaches of the East Coast of the United States, many Caribbean islands, the Bahamas, Bermuda, western Europe, Atlantic Canada and even western Africa over the next few days.

Lorenzo’s Other Records

Even before becoming a Category 5, Lorenzo was a historic storm.

When Lorenzo first became a Category 4 hurricane, it was also an outlier, particularly when considering only those that became Category 4 hurricanes from Sept. 26 through the end of the season:

September 2010’s Hurricane Julia was the only other hurricane on record to intensify to Category 4 status farther east in the Atlantic Ocean than Lorenzo. But Julia’s estimated winds peaked at 140 mph, slightly lower than Lorenzo.



In Lorenzo’s case, that wasn’t a big problem. A lack of shearing winds, typically warm ocean water and moist air allowed Lorenzo to rapidly intensify so far east.

Lorenzo strengthened from a tropical storm last Tuesday into a hurricane by Wednesday, before reaching Category 4 hurricane strength by late Thursday morning.

If I was living in the Azores, I would really have a plan for this Hurricane Lorenzo. The storm will be intense… That’s the least we can say!



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