How hard will Hurricane Lee hit New England? The cold North Atlantic may decide that

New England is in the crosshairs of Hurricane Lee but is usually protected from the worst of a hurricane’s wrath by the cold waters of the North Atlantic. That's expected to help reduce Lee to a tropical storm by the time it arrives this weekend. A number of factors determine the path and strength of a hurricane. But the warm waters that can strengthen a hurricane are typically south of Cape Cod. North of there, the Atlantic waters are much colder. That doesn’t mean storms aren’t dangerous in the region. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 brought gusts over 180 miles per hour.