Hurricane Lorenzo may not be heading toward the United States, but the storm is expected to skirt past the western Azores this week and impact cruise itineraries as a result.
According to Weather.com, Lorenzo remained a Category 2 hurricane Monday with 105 mile-per-hour winds as it moved north toward the central Atlantic Ocean and the Azores island chain, where it is expected to arrive Wednesday.
Government officials in the Azores have issued hurricane and tropical storm watches, with National Hurricane Center forecasters expecting high winds and heavy rain on some of the islands by Wednesday morning.
110mph #Lorenzo chugging along northeast towards The Azores. Flores Island is the westernmost island of the archipelago that could be closest to the center, but the other 8 islands could have impacts as well Tuesday and Tuesday night. Hurricane watches are in effect. pic.twitter.com/H4pwsrlMsD
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) September 30, 2019
While Lorenzo is not believed to get close enough to the U.S. for the rain or wind from the storm to cause a direct impact, the hurricane will churn up big waves and rip currents along the East Coast.
As for Lorenzo’s impact on travel, the three international airports located in the Azores are on high alert and will be ready to make the necessary adjustments when the storm hits. So far, flight delays and cancellations are at a minimum.
According to Cruise Critic, ships serving the region where Lorenzo is carving a path have been forced to make itinerary changes, including Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas and Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess.