Hurricane Lorenzo strengthens to category 5 in Atlantic

Hurricane Lorenzo heads towards the Azores and then could impact Ireland. Photo / Twitter

Hurricane Lorenzo has strengthened into a Category 5 storm in the central Atlantic Ocean, making it the strongest storm ever observed so far north and east in the Atlantic basin.

The US National Hurricane Center said that the storm has maximum sustained winds of 257 kph.

#Lorenzo's current central pressure of 925 hPa is the lowest by any Atlantic #hurricane east of 50°W on record. Prior record was 933 hPa by Edouard (1996), Gert (1999) and Igor (2010). pic.twitter.com/n5InvcUpXQ

— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) September 29, 2019

Lorenzo is moving north at 16 kph and is centered about 2,269 km southwest of the Azores, a Portuguese island chain.

There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, although forecasters expect the storm to remain strong as it approaches the Azores over the next few days.

Officials say swells produced by the storm are currently affecting parts of the northeastern coast of South America and the Lesser Antilles.

Hurricane #Lorenzo has rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane in the far eastern Atlantic. It is the easternmost Category 5 hurricane on record. The latest: https://t.co/107ZcxKdnY pic.twitter.com/rfcgfnJkXt

— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) September 29, 2019