Map: Tracking Hurricane Leslie – The New York Times

Leslie was a Category 1 hurricane in the North Atlantic as of Monday afternoon Eastern Time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest update.

The hurricane had sustained winds of 80 miles per hour.

What does the storm look like from above?

Satellite images can help determine the strength, size and cohesion of a storm. The stronger a storm becomes, the more likely an eye is to form in the middle. If the eye looks symmetrical, it often means the storm isn't hitting anything that could weaken it.

Where will it rain?

Flash flooding may occur well inland and away from the storm center. Even weaker storms can produce excessive rainfall that can flood low-lying areas.

Leslie is the twelfth named storm to form in the Atlantic in 2024.

In late May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted there would be 17 to 25 named storms this year, an above-average number.

This season follows an overly active year with 20 named storms – including an early storm that was later given the official name “Unnamed.” It was the eighth consecutive year that the average was exceeded by 14 named storms. Only one hurricane, Idalia, made landfall in the United States.

Typically, the El Niño pattern that prevailed last season would have suppressed hurricanes and reduced the number of storms in a season. But in 2023, warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic weakened El Niño's usual effect of thwarting storms.

The warm ocean temperatures that fueled last year's season were even warmer at the start of this season, boosting forecasters' confidence that there would be more storms this year. The increased sea surface temperatures could also intensify storms faster than usual.

To make matters worse, last year's El Niño pattern is also weakening, most likely creating a more suitable atmosphere for storms to form and intensify.

Hurricanes require a calm environment to form, and in the Atlantic, a strong El Niño increases wind shear – a change in wind speed and/or direction with height – which affects a storm's ability to merge. Without El Niño this year, clouds are more likely to reach heights high enough to sustain a strong hurricane.