Hurricane Lee will hit US East Coast TODAY: Maine braces for 20ft waves and 85mph winds as dangerous storm races north after battering Bermuda and Dominican Republic
Hurricane Lee set to hit US east coast TODAY: Maine braces for 20-foot waves and 85 mph winds as dangerous storm barrels north after hitting Bermuda and the Dominican Republic
- Lee will produce potentially life-threatening storm surges on Friday and Saturday
- Category 1 storm led to Maine’s first hurricane warning in 15 years
- Nantucket, Cape Cod and the coast of Long Island are also preparing for the impact of the storm
Hurricane Lee is barreling toward New England, bringing 20-foot waves, 80 mph winds and warnings in Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Canada amid fears of deadly storm surges and tornadoes.
The storm tore through the Caribbean overnight, devastating the Dominican Republic and Bermuda before moving north with New England in its sights.
It will make landfall in Canada, but will cause huge waves along the way across much of the New England coast.
In an announcement this morning, the National Hurricane Center said tropical storm conditions will begin across the U.S. this afternoon.
New satellite images released this morning by NOAA show Hurricane Lee barreling toward the East Coast
Waves are gathering in Shinnecock Inlet on Long Island as Hurricane Lee approaches Friday
There are fears for many homes on Long Island’s coast, which have been hit during hurricane season
In Maine, the governor has issued a hurricane warning for the first time in 15 years, while the National Guard in Long Island is ready to sandbag homes and respond to emergencies.
In New Jersey, anyone who goes swimming will be fined up to $200, while beach warnings are in effect.
After a deluge of rain, flooding, sinkholes and tornadoes this week, New England is about to face Hurricane Lee.
When the Category 1 system hit Bermuda, Maine was under its first hurricane watch in 15 years and a state of emergency was declared by Governor Janet Mills on Thursday.
The water-covered area was bracing for 20-foot waves off the coast and wind gusts of up to 79 miles per hour, along with more rain.
Crews from Davis & Tripp Marina and Boat Yard pull a sailboat named Hurricane from the waters of Padanaram Harbor in Dartmouth, Massachusetts
The hull of a boat is cleaned after it was pulled from the water ahead of Hurricane Lee at York Harbor Marine, Thursday, September 14, 2023, in York, Maine
Surfers and others spend a day at Rockaway Beach as the impact of Hurricane Lee brings large surf and tidal waves to much of the Northeast on September 14, 2023 in New York City
Surfers spend a day at Rockaway Beach as the impact of Hurricane Lee in New York City on September 14, 2023 brings large surf and tidal waves to much of the Northeast. Anyone found in the water in New Jersey starting Friday will be fined
A hurricane watch was in effect for eastern Maine, while the rest of the state and an area stretching south through Massachusetts were under a tropical storm warning.
High winds and coastal flooding were expected to arrive in southern New England Friday afternoon and spread north.
Although Lee did not contribute to the floods that hit New England earlier this week, they threatened to worsen conditions in a region already underwater.
The Coast Guard and emergency management authorities warned New Englanders to be prepared, and utilities brought in reinforcements to deal with any power outages.
At Boothbay Harbor Marina in Maine, the community came together to pull boats out of the water to keep them out of harm’s way.
βIt’s a batten down the hatches day,β owner Kim Gillies said Thursday.