Hurricane Lee creating dangerous surf and rip current conditions
BOSTON -- Days of wild weather that produced torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and a likely tornado in New England could be a prelude to something more dangerous lurking offshore — Hurricane Lee.
On Thursday evening, Lee was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
The National Weather Center warned of dangerous surf and rip current conditions affecting much of the East Coast of the United States.
The center of the storm was about 590 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts and was moving north at 14 mph.
Maine was under its first hurricane watch in 15 years as the region prepared for 20-foot waves and winds gusting to 85 mph, along with more rain, officials said. A dangerous storm surge was projected for Friday evening for Massachusetts' Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Island, while the brunt of the storm was to arrive early Saturday.
Although the Category 1 system did not contribute to the recent flooding, it threatened to exacerbate conditions in a region that is already much too wet.
The Coast Guard and emergency management agencies warned New England residents to be prepared, and utility companies brought in reinforcements to deal with possible power outages. At Boothbay Harbor Marina in Maine, the community came together to remove boats from the water to keep them out of harm's way.
"It's a batten-down-the-hatches kind of day," owner Kim Gillies said Thursday.
Earlier in the week, the region saw 10 inches of rain over six hours. Tornado warnings were posted Wednesday for communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and more heavy rain opened up sinkholes and brought devastating flooding to several areas.
The National Weather Service in Boston said radar data and videos indicated that a likely tornado damaged trees and power lines in Rhode Island and Connecticut on Wednesday. In Lincoln, Rhode Island, photos taken after the storm showed that at least one roof damaged and the press box at the high school stadium tipped into the bleachers.
