New Englanders are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Lee as the Category 1 storm barrels through the northeastern corner of the United States on Friday night.
The latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) showed that as of 8 p.m. Friday, the eye of Lee had winds of 80 mph and was moving northeast at 20 mph. Forecasters predict the storm will make landfall near Nova Scotia sometime Saturday afternoon.
No matter where Lee lands, heavy rainfall, gusty winds and flooding are possible far from the center of the storm. Tropical storm warnings were issued for parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine Friday night into Saturday, with potential winds of up to 69 mph and waves of 14 to 19 feet along the coast.
National Hurricane Center
Heavy rainfall from the storm could also cause flooding in parts of eastern Maine and the southeastern Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Saturday. The National Health Commission warned residents that weather conditions could cause downed trees and power outages in affected areas.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of emergency Thursday ahead of a tumultuous weekend that is expected to see the strongest winds in the state’s bays. However, hurricane watches have been lifted for parts of Maine, and the Canadian Hurricane Center extended hurricane watches for parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Friday night, with the same expected on Saturday.
Boston will likely bear the brunt of the storm, with Cape Cod and Nantucket experiencing strong winds, potential coastal flooding and rainfall Friday into Saturday. But forecasters at WBZ Boston predicted that the center of Lee could pass about 200 miles east of southern New England by Saturday morning, avoiding much of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which are under tropical storm warnings.
The last hurricane to make landfall in New England was Hurricane Bob, a Category 2 storm and the first Atlantic hurricane of the season in 1991, which tore through parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts before moving through Myanmar. It was downgraded to a tropical storm due to local conditions. to the National Health Commission. There has not been a landfall in Maine since Hurricane Gerda struck Eastport as a Category 1 hurricane in 1969.
Ahead of this year’s Atlantic storm season, scientists predicted between five and nine hurricanes, with a 40% chance of 2023 becoming a “normal” season. Last month, however, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration changed its forecast, predicting above-normal activity levels this fall, citing record warm sea surface temperatures.
Weekly newspaper Contact the National Weather Service via email Friday evening for more information.
