The immediate impacts of Hurricane Lee begin Friday in New England
The wet weather and winds associated with Hurricane Lee are expected to begin impacting the coast on Friday with the worst of the weather expected on Saturday.
As of Friday morning, Hurricane Lee Hours away from blasting the New England coast with strong winds and coastal flooding. Continuing coverage of Hurricane Lee has moved here.
Tropical storm warnings are in place across New England as weather conditions are expected to begin deteriorating late Friday as Hurricane Lee approaches its closest approach.
Boston could see strong tropical storm force winds overnight, and locals are concerned that the wind and heavy rain could snap branches and limbs and pull down power lines, leaving thousands of people in the dark.
A state of emergency has been preemptively declared in Maine as the state faces its worst tornado threat in nearly 15 years.
Hurricane Lee live tracker: satellites, forecast path, spaghetti computer models, cone of interest and more
A historic fishing port in Maine braces for the impacts of Hurricane Lee
The town of Jonesport is expected to be within Hurricane Lee's broad wind field this weekend, prompting fishermen to protect their marine livelihoods from the storm. September 14, 2023.
“We are tracking the path of the storm and coordinating with federal and local partners to prepare for its arrival,” Governor Janet 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.”
The NHC says Lee will continue to weaken as it heads into a more volatile environment including wind shear, drier air and colder water. 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 continues to spin 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 increased risk of tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph or greater. 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 170 miles west of Bermuda and about 590 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Hurricane Lee is moving northward at 14 mph with maximum winds of 85 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
Due to its proximity to Bermuda, a tropical storm warning is in effect for the island, and tropical storm conditions are seen throughout the island's British territory.
The NHC says Hurricane Lee continues to weaken but will remain a “major and dangerous hurricane” as it continues to move northward.
What is the expected path of Hurricane Lee?
Based on the hurricane's direction, Maine and provinces in Canada are expected to see the worst of the weather, but because of the storm's widespread reach, its effects will be felt hundreds of miles from the center.
Coastal communities from Florida to Maine were already affected by the hurricane in the form of rough waves, and the Fernandina Beach Police Department in Florida said it found the body of a swimmer swept away by the rough currents.
The core of the hurricane was more than 700 miles away when the swimmer likely encountered a rip current and did not resurface while in the ocean along northeastern Florida.
A Florida community reports its first death associated with Hurricane Lee
What advisories or warnings are in effect for Hurricane Lee in the United States?
Tropical storm and hurricane warnings have been issued for millions of people from New England to Canada.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for every coastal city from Westport, Massachusetts, across the U.S.-Canada border. Additionally, a tornado warning is in effect for Downeast Maine.
In Canada, both a hurricane warning and a tropical storm warning are in effect for hundreds of miles of coastline in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
a Tropical Storm Warning It is issued when tropical storm force winds (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) are expected within the storm warning area within 36 hours. These winds can be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding and/or river flooding.
a Tropical Storm Watch Issued when tropical storm force winds are possible within a storm watch area, generally within 48 hours.
a Hurricane watch It is issued when hurricane force winds (sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) are possible within the watch area, generally within 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 starting Friday.
The FOX Prediction Center expects Lee's wind field to extend about 560 miles, which could lead to far-reaching impacts in New England.
Wind speeds could reach 30 to 40 mph from the Boston area to Worcester and into northeastern Connecticut.
On the south shore of Massachusetts, winds will be a little stronger and could reach 40 to 50 mph on Saturday morning.
Strong winds are also expected across Cape Cod from Barnstable to Provincetown.
In Maine, wind speeds could reach 50 to 60 mph along the coast, including Rockland.
Track the timeline of Hurricane Lee: When and where to expect impacts in New England, Maine
“This isn't 'pack up and get out' (the storm),” Merwin said. “This is hunkering down, preparing to lose power. We're going to have really bad conditions on Saturday, and then we're going to have 'I'm going to wake up Sunday and it's going to be a new day.'”
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. Downeast Maine could also see more, with forecast totals between 2-5 inches.
Map showing potential power outages due to Hurricane Lee. (Fox Weather)
People living in New England still have a day to prepare for any potential impacts and power outages Lee will bring to the region before the weather begins to deteriorate on Friday.
“We could still see a 24-hour period where you might be without power, which means everything in your refrigerator is going to spoil,” Merwin said. “Your food can't last 24 hours without power to your refrigerator. So maybe you can buy some things at the store in the next couple of days that you can eat and not have to worry about refrigerating them.”
