CNN
Hurricane Lee makes landfall in the Atlantic Ocean late Thursday.
CNN
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Hurricane Lee Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to hit parts of coastal New England and Atlantic Canada on Friday, which could lead to flooding in some areas and knock out power across communities.
Inland areas of New England are not expected to see significant storm impacts, as Lee’s center is on track to track up the US East Coast.
However, the massive storm could drench parts of eastern New England into parts of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, with up to 4 inches of rain starting Friday night and continuing into Saturday. Lee’s mammoth size will cause its strong winds to knock down power lines and cause some flooding.
The Canadian Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning from New Brunswick to the US-Canada border to Fort Lawrence, Grand Man Island, including the National Hurricane Center. said Thursday is late. Another tropical storm warning is also in effect for Nova Scotia’s coast from Fort Lawrence to Point Tupper.
Tropical storm conditions – minimum wind 39 mph — is expected to begin Friday afternoon in southern New England, the Hurricane Center said.
Early Friday morning, the Hurricane Center reported that coastal conditions continued to deteriorate with dangerous rip currents and surf along much of the East Coast.
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As Lee neared the New England coast, Maine Governor Janet Mills declared a state of emergency Thursday and requested federal assistance to prepare for the storm.
Lee’s Center, A Type 1 The hurricane was about 215 miles northwest of Bermuda early Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. The hurricane center said at 5 a.m. ET.
Lee dumped strong winds and tropical storm conditions on Bermuda throughout Thursday, causing power outages on the island. Those weather conditions are expected to continue into Friday morning, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the island as the hurricane tracks west of Bermuda.
Meanwhile, in the United States, hurricane and tropical storm warnings are in effect for many New England coastal communities in anticipation of Lee’s potential impacts Friday and into the weekend.
A tropical storm warning issued along the New England coast has been extended northward to the U.S.-Canada border, the hurricane center said Thursday.
Another tropical storm warning in effect for the Massachusetts coast extends as far west as Westport, the agency added. Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are included in the warning area.
Additionally, a tornado watch is in effect for Petit Manon Point, Maine, on the Canadian border.
Forecasters expect Lee to weaken as it approaches land. But because it is already a major storm, its strong winds have the potential to hit coastal New England and Canada’s Atlantic provinces.
Hurricane-force winds extended up to 105 miles from its center and tropical-storm-force winds up to 320 miles, the hurricane center said early Friday.
on Saturday, Hurricane-force winds (at least 74 miles) is possible from the northern coast of Maine into the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. But tropical storm-force winds are possible across much of New England and Atlantic Canada.
Provincial and wildlife parks in Nova Scotia will be closed Friday, inching closer to the Lee area.
“Safety is our top priority as we prepare for the weekend storm forecast,” said provincial Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables Tori Rushton. “We are closing our parks due to the storm and will reopen when it is safe.”
Lee is expected to dump its heaviest rain on Maine on Saturday. Neighboring states, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, could also receive rain from Lee.
Over the weekend, communities from Rhode Island to northern Maine could see 1 to 2 inches of rain. An additional 2 to 4 inches of rainfall could affect the Massachusetts Cape and much of Maine. Repeated showers could increase rainfall totals to 6 inches.
