Photo: National Weather Service
New England is bracing for high winds and heavy rains starting Friday (September 15) evening as Hurricane Lee approaches. The massive storm was once a devastating Category 5 hurricane but has since weakened in the cooler waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean.
As of 11 a.m. ET, Lee had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was moving north-northeast at 18 mph. It was centered 395 miles south-southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect in the following areas:
- Bermuda
- Westport, Massachusetts, northward to the U.S./Canada border
- Martha's Vineyard
- Nantucket
- New Brunswick from the U.S./Canada border to Fort Lawrence, including Grand Manan Island
- Nova Scotia from Fort Lawrence to Point Tupper
"Tonight through Saturday night, Lee is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches, 50 to 100 millimeters, in eastern Maine, western Nova Scotia, and portions of New Brunswick. This could produce localized urban and small-stream flooding," the National Hurricane Center said.
Forecasters said that the combination of storm surge and high tide could cause flooding along the coast as waters rise between one and three feet.
"A dangerous storm surge will produce coastal flooding within the wind warning areas in Atlantic Canada in areas of onshore winds. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves," the National Hurricane Center warned.