Hurricane Lee remained a powerful Category 5 hurricane on Friday morning after strengthening some more overnight.

Lee had sustained winds of 165 mph on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Category 5 winds begin at 157 mph.

The hurricane center said fluctuations in strength will be possible, but it’s also possible that Lee could strengthen even more today as it tracks westward across the Atlantic.

The hurricane center’s intensity forecast shows Lee possibly peaking with sustained winds as high as 180 mph in 12 hours.

Lee is headed in the general direction of the Lesser Antilles but is forecast to stay on a path that will keep the core of the storm north and east of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend and into early next week, forecasters said.

The official long-range forecast track from the hurricane center shows the core of the powerful storm continuing to the northwest into next week. By the last day of the forecast period, Wednesday, the hurricane center thinks Lee will be sitting to the north of the Lesser Antilles and to the east of the Bahamas.

Lee is expected to slow down its westward progress over the weekend but will remain a powerful major hurricane into next week.

The hurricane center warned that waves from the storm will reach the Lesser Antilles later today, and then the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda by this weekend.

Lee is not expected to directly affect the U.S. through the next five days, but rough surf and rip currents are expected to begin along most of the East Coast on Sunday.

Will Lee eventually threaten the U.S. mainland? It’s still too soon to say, according to forecasters.

“It is way too soon to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda late next week, particularly since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic,” the hurricane center said Friday.

“Regardless, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along most of the U.S. East Coast beginning Sunday. Continue to monitor updates to Lee’s forecast during the next several days.”

TROPICAL STORM MARGOT

The hurricane center was also tracking another storm, Margot, in the eastern Atlantic.

Margot was a tropical storm on Friday morning but is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane over the weekend. However, it will stay far from the U.S.

The forecast path from the hurricane center shows Margot turning to the north-northwest and staying well to the east of Bermuda next week.

Margot was a minimal tropical storm with 40 mph winds on Friday morning and brought heavy rain and gusty winds to the Cabo Verde Islands on Thursday.