Hurricane Lee tracker: Alerts issued across coastal New England as storm pivots north - The Independent

Hurricane Lee path: Alerts issued across coastal New England as storm pivots north | The Independent

Hurricane Lee – live: Alerts issued across coastal New England as storm pivots north

Storm Surge Watch issued for Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket, Massachusetts
Louise Boyle Martha McHardy Comments

Hurricane and Tropical Storm watches were issued for much of coastal New England on Wednesday as Hurricane Lee pivots north.

Lee weakened to a Category 2 storm in the Atlantic today but remained “large and dangerous”, according to forecasters.

The storm is 380 miles (610km) south-southwest of Bermuda with conditions expected to deteriorate on the island’s beach areas by Thursday morning.

“On the forecast track, the center of Lee will pass west of Bermuda Thursday and Thursday night and then approach the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada Friday and Saturday,” the National Hurricane Center reported.

Forecasters said it’s possible that Lee will make landfall in Nova Scotia as a tropical storm on Sunday.

A Hurricane Watch was issued for portions of down-east Maine from Stonington to the US-Canada border.

A Tropical Storm Watch was issued for a large area of coastal New England from Watch Hill, Rhode Island to Stonington, Maine, including Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. A Storm Surge Watch was issued for Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Behind Lee is Hurricane Margot, the fifth hurricane of the 2023 season, which is “forecast to meander over the North Atlantic during the next few days”.
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Rain-soaked New England hit by likely tornado amid wild weather ahead of Hurricane Lee's arrival

Hurricane Lee barrelled north toward New England on Wednesday and threatened to unleash violent storms on the region just as Massachusetts and Rhode Island communities were dealing with tornado warnings and another day of heavy rain that opened up sinkholes and brought devastating flooding to several communities.

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for portions of Maine. A tropical storm watch was issued for a large area of coastal New England from parts of Rhode Island to Stonington, Maine, including Block Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

The National Weather Service in Boston said that looking at radar data and videos it appears likely that a tornado toppled trees and knocked down power lines in Rhode Island and Connecticut on Wednesday.

Rob Megnia, a meteorologist with the weather service, said they received reports of about 20 trees down in Killingly, Connecticut, and trees and power lines down in Foster, Rhode Island.

The agency said it would survey the storm damage in both states on Thursday to help determine the tornado's strength, maximum wind speed and its path.

Emergency sirens could be heard late Wednesday afternoon in parts of Providence, Rhode Island, as cellphones pinged with a tornado warning.
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One bumpy ride

The 403rd Wing of the US Air Force Reserve Command, otherwise known as the “Hurricane Hunters”, shared a video of their aerial weather reconnaissance of Hurricane Lee this past weekend.
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New England braces for more rain after hourslong downpour left communities flooded

More heavy rain was in the forecast Wednesday in New England, where residents were cleaning up after downpours dropped nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in six hours and flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The rainfall was a “200-year event,” said Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston.

Two communities declared a state of emergency and officials ordered evacuations out of concern for a dam listed in poor condition.

Rain from Hurricane Lee didn’t contribute to Monday’s flooding but could inundate parts of the coastal Northeast during the weekend, forecasters said.

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New England braces for more rain after hourslong downpour left communities flooded

People in flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island are cleaning up even as they brace for more rain Wednesday
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What is Hurricane Lee’s ‘cone of uncertainty’?

Hurricane Lee is tearing across the Atlantic bringing strong winds and dangerous currents to parts of the Caribbean, before it is expected to pivot and travel up the US East Coast, potentially making landfall in Nova Scotia, Canada on Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center graphic below shows the probable path of Hurricane Lee. Areas under a hurricane warning are marked in red; hurricane watch in pink; tropical storm warning in blue; and tropical storm watch in yellow. The orange circle shows the current position of the cyclone’s center.

However NHC tropical cyclone forecast tracks have room for error, the agency notes.

This uncertainty is conveyed by the track forecast “cone” - the solid white and stippled white areas in the graphic.

The solid white area depicts the track forecast uncertainty for days 1-3 of the forecast.

The stippled area depicts the uncertainty on days 4-5.

The entire five-day path of the center of the tropical cyclone will remain within the cone about 60-70 per cent of the time, according to historical data.

National Weather Service

Hurricane Lee’s ‘cone of uncertainty’
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‘Peak’ Atlantic hurricane season

Last Sunday was the climatological peak of Atlantic hurricane season with conditions ripe for tropical storms and hurricanes.

This week has seen considerable action with two hurricanes - Lee and Margot - currently swirling across the Atlantic.

At “peak” season, ocean waters are typically at their highest temperatures, and the shearing winds which suffocate storms decline to a minimum, creating the perfect conditions to generate powerful cyclones.
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‘Rapid intensification’ of more storms likely as ocean waters warm

Hurricane Lee is in rare company. Only two recorded storms – Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Felix in 2007 – strengthened faster than Lee over a 24-hour period.

Lee developed from a Cat 1 to a Cat 5 last week before slowly weakening to its current Cat 2 status (although it remains a “large and dangerous” storm, according to the National Weather Service).

Brian McNoldy, from the University of Miami, told NBC News that warm conditions in the Atlantic were ripe for the storm’s rapid intensification.

The “vertical wind shear was very low and the water temperature under it was very warm,” he said. Lee “took full advantage of both”, he added.

In 2022, Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified over two separate periods before striking Florida as a Category 4 storm. Last Last month, Hurricane Idalia recently strengthened from Cat 1 to Cat 4 within 24 hours.

“It’s a huge problem, and the past is not a good guide to what we should expect going forward,” Jeff Masters, a former hurricane scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told NBC.
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Watch: Massachusetts city got nearly 10 inches of rain in 6 hours
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‘Not taking any chances'

While the most severe impacts of Hurricane Lee were forecast for New England and Atlantic Canada this weekend, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that she is “not taking any chances” and deploying the National Guard.

“It’s too early to predict how Hurricane Lee will impact New York, but we’re not taking any chances,” Governor Hochul posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“I’ve deployed [the New York National Guard] on Long Island & directed agencies to prepare emergency response assets. Please watch the forecast & be ready to act, if necessary, to stay safe.”
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Watch: Hurricane Lee inches closer to New England
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What to know about renters insurance and what it does and doesn’t cover

When the unexpected happens — whether fire, hail, or human error — renters insurance can provide much-needed stability.

But many choose not to purchase coverage, including in places most frequently and hardest hit by natural disasters, new research shows.

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What to know about renters insurance and what it does and doesn't cover

When natural or manmade disasters happen, renters insurance can mean the difference between catastrophe and stability