how wide is hurricane lee

Hurricane Lee, which formed in September 2023, was a massive Category 5 storm in the Atlantic that grew remarkably wide during its lifecycle.

Peak Size

At its largest, Hurricane Lee's tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 500 miles (nearly 800 km) in diameter from the center, while hurricane- force winds reached about 230 miles (370 km) across. This made it one of the largest Atlantic hurricanes by wind field, comparable in sprawl to infamous storms like Hurricane Sandy, though Lee stayed offshore.

Evolution Over Time

• Early intensification (September 7-8, 2023): Grew rapidly with hurricane-force winds to 115 miles (185 km) radius.

• Peak expansion (mid-September): Tropical-storm-force winds spanned nearly 600 miles wide, earning descriptions like "gigantic" from meteorologists.

• Late stages: Weakened to post-tropical but retained a broad 600-mile width impacting New England and Canada with swells, rain, and winds.

Why It Grew So Large

Warm ocean waters and low wind shear allowed Lee to expand its outer rainbands dramatically, even as core winds fluctuated from Category 5 peaks (165 mph) down to Category 1. Forecasters noted its size posed widespread rip current risks along the U.S. East Coast, from Florida to Maine, despite no direct U.S. landfall.

No active Hurricane Lee exists today (February 2026); this refers to the 2023 event, long dissipated.

TL;DR: Hurricane Lee (2023) peaked at ~500-600 miles wide by tropical- storm-force winds, a sprawling giant that battered coasts indirectly.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.