Hurricane and tropical storm watches had been issued for much of the coastline prior to Lee’s arrival
New England is now on alert for Hurricane Lee
The National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge watches for parts of New England where gusty winds and heavy rain are expected along the Northeast coast. September 13, 2023.
Millions of people are bracing for the impacts of Hurricane Lee, as the powerful Category 2 hurricane has put millions of U.S. residents on watch ahead of the arrival of tropical storm and hurricane conditions in the next 48 hours.
On Wednesday evening, hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge watches were issued for the New England coast and Bermuda was under a tropical storm warning.
Boston is included in the Tropical Storm Watch as sustained winds could reach 39-73 mph, starting Friday evening and into the early part of the weekend.
Maine is bracing for rough surf and tidal surges from Hurricane Lee
Vanessa Corson, Maine Emergency Management Agency Public Affairs Office, explains how New England is preparing for the impacts of Hurricane Lee.
Maine Governor Janet Mills and the Maine Emergency Management Agency also urged residents to begin preparations ahead of Hurricane Lee’s approach this weekend.
“We are tracking the path of the storm and coordinating with federal and local partners to prepare for its arrival,” Mills said in a statement. “We urge Maine residents to be vigilant and take common-sense steps to ensure they have everything they need to stay safe as the storm approaches this weekend.”
Hurricane Lee live tracker: satellites, forecast path, spaghetti computer models, cone of interest and more
Bermuda is under a tropical storm warning as Hurricane Lee approaches
Bermuda Weather Service Director Michelle Beecher joined FOX Weather to explain how the British island territory is preparing for Hurricane Lee, as evacuations are not an option for residents.
The NHC says Lee will gradually weaken as it moves into a more volatile environment of increased wind shear, drier air and colder water over the next few days.
However, Lee’s massive size and the expected increase in its forward speed suggest that the weakening process may be slow, and the storm will continue to grow in size as it spins northward.
The cyclone is expected to become extratropical, meaning the storm will no longer need to draw its strength from warm waters. So for millions of people living along the New England coast from Connecticut to Maine, the potential impacts could be more like a nor’easter during the winter than a hurricane making landfall.
For coastal areas from Massachusetts to Maine, there is an additional risk of tropical storm-force winds of 40 mph or more. Large waves of up to 10-20 feet will crash into the shoreline and create a risk of beach erosion and coastal flooding.
Where is Hurricane Lee?
As of the latest NHC warnings, Hurricane Lee is located about 420 miles southwest of Bermuda and about 900 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Hurricane Lee is moving north-northwest at 10 mph with maximum winds of 105 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.
It is expected to begin slow weakening over the next few days, but the National Hurricane Center says Lee is expected to remain a large and powerful hurricane.
What is the expected path of Hurricane Lee?
The NHC says Lee began turning to the north-northwest on Wednesday, which will then be followed by a turn to the north. Its forward speed also began to increase on Wednesday and will continue to increase on Thursday or Friday.
On this forecast track, Lee’s center will pass west of Bermuda on Thursday and Thursday. It will then approach the coast of New England or Atlantic Canada by Friday and Saturday. It’s still too early to know where Lee will make landfall, although it will likely happen somewhere between Maine and Atlantic Canada.
What advisories or warnings are in effect for Hurricane Lee?
The National Hurricane Center in coordination with local National Weather Service offices has issued a hurricane watch from Stonington, Maine to the U.S.-Canada border, and a tropical storm watch is in effect from Watch Hill, Rhode Island to Stonington, Maine.
Additionally, a storm surge warning has been issued for communities surrounding Cape Cod and Nantucket.
More than 7.3 million residents from Rhode Island through Maine are under a tropical storm watch and Downeast Maine is under a hurricane watch.
The hurricane watch is the first type of alert issued for parts of the state’s coast in nearly 15 years.
The watch is issued 48 hours before the first tropical storm force or hurricane force winds occur.
A storm surge watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening flooding within the next 48 hours.
What impact will I have in New England?
Hurricane Lee is expected to bring strong and potentially damaging wind gusts to coastal areas of New England along with heavy surf and heavy rain.
Lee will begin to increase its forward speed after turning northward, and as it does so, the storm’s wind field is expected to grow in size.
The FOX Prediction Center expects the Lee wind field to extend more than 550 miles, which could lead to far-reaching impacts in New England.
Track the timeline of Hurricane Lee: When and where to expect impacts in New England, Maine
Winds could blow across eastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod as Lee moves north off the coast. The strongest wind gusts on Cape Cod are likely to be felt in communities like Provincetown, Eastham, Barnstable, and Harwich.
“Lee will begin to undergo an extratropical transition where it becomes less hurricane-like and more like an easterly hurricane, which is what people in New England know as the cooler time of year,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center. Fox Weather Monday. “So, those could be impact storms as well. Just because it doesn’t look like a classic hurricane — nothing up to that latitude is going to look like a classic hurricane. It’s going to be fast-moving, and it’s going to persist.” “There will be risks extending hundreds of miles from the centre, regardless of the path of the centre.”
Most of the heaviest rain over the Atlantic Ocean is expected to fall in Canada, but depending on Hurricane Lee’s track, a few inches of rain could fall in New England.
Coastal areas from Massachusetts to Maine will see the highest rainfall totals, with Massachusetts, New Hampshire and most of Maine seeing around 1-2 inches, with higher amounts along coastal areas of eastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod. Eastern Maine could also see more, with forecast totals between 2-5 inches.
People living in New England still have a day to prepare for any potential impacts Lee may have on the region, before the weather begins to deteriorate on Friday.
While the potential impacts can be seen throughout New England, residents along the coasts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire as well as those living in Maine should pay attention to Lee’s progress and have an action plan ready to get started.
