Hurricane Lee is expected to make a critical turn to the north in the Atlantic on Wednesday, which will likely send tropical-storm-force winds and dangerous beach conditions to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and across New England later this week.
Even if Lee does not make landfall in the U.S., the storm’s wind field is hundreds of miles wide. New Englanders should be prepared for coastal flooding and damaging winds.
With parts of New England, including Cape Cod, in Lee’s forecast cone, here’s a closer look at when the region can expect to feel the greatest impacts from Lee in the coming days, beginning Friday.
FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross explained there are two outcomes for New England from Hurricane Lee.
In the first forecast scenario, the center of Hurricane Lee remains far enough away from New England that the heavy rain and winds gusting to hurricane force would brush Cape Cod, but less impactful conditions would occur over the mainland, Norcross said.
HURRICANE LEE LIVE TRACKER: SATELLITES, PROJECTED PATH, SPAGHETTI COMPUTER MODELS, CONE OF CONCERN
The other scenario “brings brutal heavy rain and damaging winds over the Interstate 95 corridor from southeastern Massachusetts to the northeastern part of Maine, which is called Downeast Maine,” he said.
If Lee’s center gets close to New England, winds could knock out power in parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the eastern half of Long Island, New York.
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for Bermuda, and more tropical watches or warnings may be issued for parts of New England and Canada on Wednesday.
Ahead of warnings or watches issued by the National Hurricane Center, areas from coastal New York to Vermont should be watching the forecast closely. Meanwhile, those in Maine and into Nova Scotia should be prepared for storm impacts.
Dangerous rip currents and coastal conditions will be the first impacts from Hurricane Lee felt across the entire U.S. Atlantic coast, New England and into Canada. Wave heights and rip currents will begin increasing later Wednesday.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf conditions are already occurring along the southeast and mid-Atlantic U.S. coasts, with large waves up to 10 feet in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. These conditions will begin spreading north across New England later on Wednesday.
High rip current risks are in place through Wednesday night from Newport and throughout Cape Cod and Nantucket.
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking the greatest chance for coastal impacts to arrive in New England on Thursday morning and continue through the weekend.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine will likely begin experiencing intense wind gusts early Saturday morning, with the most intense winds in Cape Cod.
The latest forecast includes winds up to 70 mph in the Outer Cape, including Provincetown and Eastham. Winds up to 60 mph will be felt in the Mid-Cape, including Barnstable, by mid-morning on Saturday.
Several inches of rain are forecast for Cape Cod, Portland, Maine; and Nova Scotia, Canada. Rainfall will begin arriving Friday evening and continue throughout the weekend.
It will be quite soggy across the Northeast and New England this week. A cold front ahead of Hurricane Lee’s arrival is also bringing rain.
Flood Watches are in effect through Thursday for parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Up to an inch of rain is forecast through Thursday before Lee’s impacts arrive in Boston and Provincetown.