Hurricane Jose lurks off East Coast

Hurricane Jose continued to meander off the coast on Saturday, spinning about 500 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

A sprawling high-pressure system over the central Atlantic Ocean is preventing Jose from heading out to sea, meaning it could pose a threat to parts of the East Coast through the coming week.

After weakening to a tropical storm on Thursday, Jose returned to Category 1 hurricane status Friday night. Its maximum sustained winds were 80 mph as of midday Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Under weak upper-level winds, Jose had made limited forward progress over the past week. However, over the next few days, the western edge of the highpressure system that is trapping Jose is expected to weaken. This should create a path for escape.

The consensus track from the latest weather model updates now keeps Jose well off the MidAtlantic coast, with the storm likely to make its closest pass to the D.C. region Tuesday. At that point, Jose should be 100 miles or more east of Delaware.

It is unclear what the intensity of Jose will be later in the week — it may even be acting like a wintertime nor’easter by then.

Along with Jose, tropical storm action in the Atlantic remains extremely active. Tropical Storm Lee was named Saturday morning off the African coast, to the west of the Cape Verde Islands.

Out ahead of Lee, a potentially more ominous low-pressure disturbance is gathering steam. Christened Maria, this area of organized convection is showing signs of intensification. It is presently tracking due west toward the Lesser Antilles.