Current:Home > Contact-usHeavy surf is pounding Bermuda as Hurricane Lee aims for New England and Atlantic Canada-LoTradeCoin
Heavy surf is pounding Bermuda as Hurricane Lee aims for New England and Atlantic Canada
View Date:2024-12-23 19:18:28
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The outer bands of Hurricane Lee began to lash Bermuda late Thursday as big surf pounded the island, with the Category 2 storm expected to make landfall on the coast of New England or Atlantic Canada over the weekend.
The storm was located about 370 miles (595 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda. It had winds of up to 105 miles per hour (165 kilometers per hour) and was moving north-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).
Lee was expected to pass just west of Bermuda, prompting forecasters to issue a tropical storm warning for the island.
”I cannot stress enough that we must all take this storm seriously,” David Burch, acting national security minister, said in a press conference.
More coverage Rain-soaked New England hit by likely tornado amid wild weather ahead of Hurricane Lee’s arrival The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for portions of Maine and a tropical storm watch for a large area of coastal New England as Hurricane Lee heads to the region.Bermuda’s government announced it would shutter its airport at midday Thursday and reopen it Friday. Banks, city parks and ferry service also were scheduled to shut down Thursday. Public schools would shutter Thursday and Friday.
“We don’t want 4,000 little people wandering around the country in tropical storm winds,” Burch said.
Lee is expected to grow in size and keep traveling north as it slowly loses strength in cooler waters. It is forecast to approach the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada on Friday and Saturday and remain a “large and dangerous hurricane,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane watch was issued from Stonington, Maine to the U.S.-Canadian border. A tropical storm watch was issued for a large swath 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.
“Due to Lee’s large size, hazards will extend well away from the center, and there will be little to no significance on exactly where the center reaches the coast,” the center said.
Hurricane-force winds extended up to 115 miles (185 kilometers) from Lee’s center, and tropical-storm-force winds extended up to 240 miles (390 kilometers), the center reported. It warned of wind, rain and coastal flooding for parts of New England and Atlantic Canada.
The storm is approaching as New England struggled on Wednesday with flooding from unusually heavy rainfall unrelated to the hurricane that prompted the governor of Massachusetts to declare a state of emergency.
Forecasters warned of dangerous surf and rip currents in Lesser Antilles, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast. The conditions were starting to reach Atlantic Canada.
“I understand our community has been through a lot with back-to-back storms,” Burch said, referring to Idalia, which spun past the island on Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone and has since dissipated. “I want to acknowledge the fatigue and concern many of you may be feeling right now.”
Meanwhile, Hurricane Margot was spinning through open Atlantic waters on Wednesday. It was located about 790 miles (1,270 kilometers) west-southwest of the Azores and had maximum sustained winds of 90 miles (150 kilometers). It was moving north at 7 mph (11 kph) and is expected to remain over open waters.
It is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane seasons and the fifth hurricane to form. The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 and peaked on Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast 14 to 21 named storms this season. Six to 11 of those are expected to strengthen into hurricane, and of those, two to five could develop into Category 3 storms or higher.
veryGood! (2629)
Related
- Surprise bids revive hope for offshore wind in Gulf of Mexico after feds cancel lease sale
- President Biden signs short-term funding bill to keep the government open ahead of deadline
- Tropical disturbance hits western Caribbean, unleashing floods and landslides in Jamaica
- FAA to investigate drone that delayed Ravens-Bengals game
- Suspect arrested after deadly Tuskegee University homecoming shooting
- Gospel singer Bobbi Storm nearly kicked off Delta flight for refusing to stop singing
- Russian parliament passes record budget, boosting defense spending and shoring up support for Putin
- Woman convicted of killing pro cyclist Anna ‘Mo’ Wilson gets 90 years in prison. What happened?
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Something Corporate
- Citing ongoing criminal case, UVA further delays release of campus shooting findings
Ranking
- Bridgerton's Luke Newton Details His Physical Transformation for Season 3's Leading Role
- Court orders Balance of Nature to stop sales of supplements after FDA lawsuits
- Biden seizes a chance to refocus on Asia as wars rage in Europe and the Mideast
- As fighting surges in Myanmar, an airstrike in the west reportedly kills 11 civilians
- Whoopi Goldberg Shares Very Relatable Reason She's Remained on The View
- Former state lawmaker charged with $30K in pandemic unemployment benefits fraud
- Hundreds of Salem Hospital patients warned of possible exposure to hepatitis, HIV
- Citing ongoing criminal case, UVA further delays release of campus shooting findings
Recommendation
-
It's about to be Red Cup Day at Starbucks. When is it and how to get the free coffee swag?
-
President Biden signs short-term funding bill to keep the government open ahead of deadline
-
First person charged under Australia’s foreign interference laws denies working for China
-
Rio’s iconic Christ statue welcomes Taylor Swift with open arms thanks to Swifties and a priest
-
Suspected shooter and four others are found dead in three Kansas homes, police say
-
Karol G wins album of the year at 2023 Latin Grammys: See the winners list
-
Ruling by Senegal’s highest court blocks jailed opposition leader Sonko from running for president
-
Bill Cosby accuser files new lawsuit under expiring New York survivors law