Hurricane Lee barreled toward Nova Scotia on Friday evening, churning up the ocean around Long Island and triggering storm surge warnings across New England.
At 5:00 PM ET, the storm was 470 miles southeast of Nantucket, with maximum winds of 80 mph.
The size of the Category 1 storm was more of a concern than its strength: Tropical-force winds were felt over an area 350 miles (550 kilometers) long.
Satellite images showed the monstrous size of the slow-moving storm.
Lee is expected to make landfall in Nova Scotia early Saturday evening and bypass the United States — with Maine’s governor lifting his hurricane warning and replacing it with a tropical storm warning.
Heavy surf is pounding the shoreline at Nauset Beach in East Orleans, Cape Cod, on Friday
A brave surfer rides the monster waves at Horseneck Beach in Westport, Massachusetts, on Friday
Sandbags are stacked in front of Billy Joel’s home in Sag Harbor, Long Island
Workers have been sandbagging the singer’s home since Friday morning in preparation for the storm
Satellite images shared Friday show the size of the storm
The hurricane warning was the first since 2008 for Hurricane Kyle, which passed through eastern Maine.
The last hurricane to make landfall in Maine was Hurricane Gerda, which hit Eastport in 1969.
However, a tropical storm warning remained in effect for the state, and coastal areas began seeing strong surf and feeling high winds as early as Friday evening.
Long Islanders were making preparations as workers at Billy Joel’s home placed sandbags around his Sag Harbor home.
The original waterfront building was demolished in 2019 and a replacement house was built 10 meters above the previous house to combat possible sea rise.
Nantucket and Cape Cod were told Friday evening to brace for strong winds before dawn, with gusts of 90-100 mph expected from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday.
Video and photos shared by the Nantucket website. The current website showed heavy swells at Madequecham Beach – with a few experienced surfers taking advantage of the waves.
Emergency services warned people to be extremely wary of coastlines and not to go to the sea unless they are extremely experienced.
Several people were pictured in East Hampton on Friday watching the waves roll in
Red flags fly over Jones Beach, on Long Island, New York
Waves crash against the seawall in the Sand Hills district of Scituate, south of Boston, Massachusetts
New Englanders were also warned of possible power outages.
“Please plan ahead to stay indoors on Saturday if possible and check on your loved ones and neighbors,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, along with Maine, declared a state of emergency and asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to issue an emergency declaration before the disaster.
She also called in up to 50 National Guard members to help with storm preparations, including operating flood vehicles to respond to flooded areas.
The storm’s arrival was expected just days after severe flooding and tornadoes in New England.
‘As we have seen in recent weeks, severe weather is not something to be taken lightly. Flooding, wind damage, fallen trees, tree limbs – all these things create real dangers and problems for people,” Healey said.
Waves crash in front of the Minot Lighthouse off the coast of Minot Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts
Nantucket was warned they would bear the brunt of the winds, with the peak expected between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. Saturday morning.
In Canada, Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Hurricane Centre, said Lee will not come close to matching the severity of the remnants of Hurricane Fiona, which washed homes into the ocean and knocked out power to most of two countries. 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.
“Nothing good can come from looking at the big waves and how strong the wind really is,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the incident response group on Friday, which only meets to discuss events with major implications for Canada.
It consisted of ministers and senior officials and was previously convened due to events such as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and this year’s record wildfire season.