Hurricane Lee: Storm nears landfall as two states under state of emergency - The Independent

Hurricane Lee tracker: Storm nears landfall as Massachusetts and Maine under state of emergency | The Independent

Hurricane Lee path live: Storm nears landfall as Massachusetts and Maine under state of emergency

Maine declared a state of emergency as the state issued its first hurricane watch in 15 years

Louise Boyle,

Stuti Mishra,

Joe Sommerlad,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Comments

New England braced for the landfall of Hurricane Lee on Friday with winds expected to near 85mph and 3ft of possible storm surge.

Maine declared a state of emergency as the state issued its first hurricane watch in 15 years. Massachusetts also declared a state of emergency on Friday. Lee was downgraded to a Category 1 but it is still expected to be a “large and dangerous storm” this weekend, forecasters warned.

Lee remained a hurricane with 80mph winds at night as it headed toward New England and eastern Canada with 20-foot ocean swells, strong winds and rain.

Forecasters said there would be winds topping 40mph across the region, with peak winds reaching upward of 65mph ahead of landfall expected today.

The hurricane picked up speed as it turned north on the approach to the coast of New England on Friday. Lee is then expected to move across the border and impact Atlantic Canada on Saturday night and Sunday.

Storm surge is also a threat to coastal areas, particularly if it occurs at high tide.
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East Coast states prepare for Lee landfall

Massachusetts governor Maura Healey joined Maine in declaring a state of emergency and asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to issue a pre-disaster emergency declaration.

She also activated up to 50 National Guard members to help with storm preparations, including operating highwater vehicles to respond to flooded areas.

“As we’ve seen in recent weeks, severe weather is not to be taken lightly. Flooding, wind damage, downed trees, tree limbs — all these things create real hazards and problems for people,” Ms Healey said.

East Hampton, New York, barred swimming and, in at least some places, even walking on beaches because of dangerous surf.

Caution tape was strung up along the edge of the sand at the tony second-home community’s picturesque Main Beach, where waves already were roiling Friday afternoon, News12 Long Island reported.

In Rhode Island, governor Dan McKee said crews were working to secure the iconic 11-foot-tall “Independent Man” statue atop the State House dome. Workers wanted to safeguard the 500-pound statue against the storm’s wind and rain after a drone recently captured footage showing damage to the base.

In Maine, where people are accustomed to damaging winter nor’easters, some brushed aside the coming Lee as something akin to those storms only without the snow.

“We fear nor’easters up here more than the remnants of a tropical storm,” Andrea Silverthorne, who works in reception and reservations at the Inn on the Wharf in Lubec, Maine’s easternmost town, told the Associated Press.
1694844000 Hurricane Lee to strike weather-worn New England after heavy rain, flooding and tornadoes

After a deluge of rain, flooding, sinkholes and tornadoes this week, New England is about to face Hurricane Lee.

As the Category 1 system impacted Bermuda, Maine was under its first hurricane watch in 15 years and a state of emergency declared Thursday by state governor Janet Mills. The water-logged region prepared for 20ft waves offshore and winds of up to 80mph, along with more rain.

The hurricane watch applied to eastern Maine, while the rest of the state and an area extending south through Massachusetts was under a tropical storm warning. Powerful winds and coastal flooding were expected to arrive on Friday afternoon in southern New England and spread north.

Although Lee did not contribute to the flooding that hit New England earlier in the week, it threatened to exacerbate conditions in a region that is already waterlogged.

The Coast Guard and emergency management agencies warned New England residents to be prepared, and utility companies brought in reinforcements to deal with any power outages.

Read more:

Hurricane Lee to strike weather-worn New England after heavy rain, flooding and tornadoes

After days of torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and tornadoes, New England is about to face Hurricane Lee
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Canadian PM convenes meeting to discuss Hurricane Lee

Prime minister Justin Trudeau on Friday convened the incident response group, which meets only to discuss events with major implications for Canada.

Consisting of Cabinet ministers and senior officials, it was previously convened over events including the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the record wildfire season this year.

Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Hurricane Centre, told the Associated Press that Lee won’t be anywhere near the severity of the remnants of Hurricane Fiona, which washed houses into the ocean, knocked out power to most of two provinces and swept a woman into the sea a year ago.

But it was still a dangerous storm. Kyle Leavitt, director of the New Brunswick Emergency Management Organization, urged residents to stay home, saying, “nothing good can come from checking out the big waves and how strong the wind truly is”.
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Hurricane Lee in images: A surfer takes advantage of waves produced by the storm

Surfers in New York and New England took their boards out one last time on Friday before Hurricane Lee arrives in the region on Saturday.

Surfers spend a day at Rockaway Beach as impact from Hurricane Lee delvers large surf and rip tides to much of the Northeast on September 14, 2023 in New York City
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WATCH: Maritimers buckle down for Hurricane Lee

Residents of Canada’s Maritime Providences prepared Friday for Hurricane Lee, which is expected to make landfall on Saturday afternoon.

Watch how they prepare for the storm below.
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Coastal Maine could see 15-feet high waves due to Hurricane Lee

The storm is projected to be more than 400 miles wide with tropical-storm-force winds when it reaches land, creating worries of power outages in Maine, the nation's most heavily forested state, where the ground is saturated and trees are weakened from heavy summer rains.

Lee remained a hurricane with 80mph winds at night as it headed toward New England and eastern Canada with 20-foot ocean swells, strong winds and rain.

Forecasters said there would be winds topping 40mph across the region, with peak winds reaching upward of 65mph ahead of landfall expected today.

While landfall was projected for nearby Nova Scotia, the Category 1 system was big enough to cause concerns over a wide area even if it weakens to a tropical storm.

Parts of coastal Maine could see waves up to 15-feet high crashing down, causing erosion and damage, and the strong gusts will cause power outages, said Louise Fode, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Maine.

As much as 5 inches of rain was forecast for eastern Maine, where a flash flood watch was in effect.
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NOAA model shows Hurricane Lee’s predicted trajectory

The NOAA has released a new trajectory model showing the predicted path Hurricane Lee will take when it makes landfall near the US and Canadian borders on Saturday.

Hurricane Lee is a Category 1 storm, and is expected to bring high winds and strong storm surges to the region.

An NOAA map showing the predicted trajectory of Hurricane Lee as it continues on its path through New England and eastern Canada
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How hard will Hurricane Lee hit New England?

New England is known for its fickle weather, powerful nor’easters and blizzards. Destructive hurricanes, however, are relatively rare and typically don’t pack the same punch as tropical cyclones that hit the Southeast.

New England, in the crosshairs of Hurricane Lee, is usually protected from the worst of a hurricane’s wrath by the cold waters of the North Atlantic, and that’s expected to help reduce Lee to a tropical storm by the time it arrives by today morning

A number of factors determine the path and strength of a hurricane. But the warm waters that can strengthen a hurricane are typically south of Cape Cod. North of there, the Atlantic waters are much colder

More here.

How hard will Hurricane Lee hit New England? The cold North Atlantic may decide that

New England is in the crosshairs of Hurricane Lee but is usually protected from the worst of a hurricane’s wrath by the cold waters of the North Atlantic
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More than 3 million people under hurricane or tropical storm watches

More than 3 million people between New England and Canada’s Maritime Provinces are under either tropical storm or hurricane watches as Hurricane Lee moves closer to landfall.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall on Saturday afternoon.

The storm is forecast to produce winds of up to 75mph (121km/h) in the affected region.
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‘Today is the last day to prepare’ warns meteorologist as Hurricane Lee closes in on New England

Stephanie Abrams, a meteorologist with The Weather Channel, warned residents of New England and Canada’s Maritime Provinces that today was the “last day to prepare” before Hurricane Lee arrives with strong winds, 2 to 4 inches (50-100ml) of rain, and signficant storm surges.

“Today is the last day to preparshe told CBS Mornings on Friday. “Conditions go downhill tonight, and tomorrow, Lee will be battering parts of New England. The strongest winds are expected to be along the coast.”

Hurricane Lee is expected to make landfall on Saturday afternoon.