Lee was only a Category 1 storm Thursday morning. In the last 24 hours, the hurricane traversing the warm Atlantic Ocean waters has doubled in wind speeds -- now a dangerous Category 5. 

As of 0500 ET, Lee was about 630 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, which are located in the northeastern Caribbean, and the storm was churning west-northwest at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds north of 165 mph. This is the first Cat. 5 storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.