Hurricane Lee update: When is it supposed to hit Mass.?

All eyes are on Hurricane Lee, but close to home, we’re toning down the rhetoric about impacts.

Maine is under its first hurricane watch in 15 years and a state of emergency was declared Thursday by Gov. Janet Mills. The rest of the region is under a tropical storm warning, with powerful winds and coastal flooding expected to arrive Friday afternoon in southern New England and spread north.

5 am AST Fri Sep. 15 Key Messages for Hurricane #Lee.

Tropical-storm-force winds across portions of New England and Atlantic Canada could lead to downed trees and potential power outages tonight and on Saturday. Beach conditions along the U.S. east coast will remain hazardous… pic.twitter.com/mFakV2GHXC

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 15, 2023

Where is Hurricane Lee now?

Despite Lee’s penchant for hanging on and it’s expanding wind field as it moves north, the biggest concern will be the wind and wave action at the immediate coast – and little else elsewhere.

With a track over 200 miles offshore, the rain bands will fall short of much of eastern Massachusetts, giving us a glancing shot at showers and perhaps a brief period of steady rain on Cape Cod.

Hurricane Lee impacts

It all gets underway Friday night as the winds ramp up areawide. The strongest wind gusts will be in the predawn and early morning hours Saturday, then a slow ramp down through the course of the day.

We’re watching the high tide cycle around noon on Saturday for some minor splash over or minor flooding on the Cape and Nantucket. Otherwise, we should come away with very rough surf and lots of beach erosion (perhaps the legacy of Lee).

The least affected area of the Massachusetts and New Hampshire will be in the western and central parts of each state. That’s got to be music to the ears for the residents of Leominster, who have been cleaning up since Monday.

In fact, this is the area that sees the sun first on Saturday, and it could make for a pleasant afternoon. Sun may even weasel into eastern Massachusetts late day as the storm pulls away.

Sunday shines and warms back to the upper 70s. Clouds could reach us late evening, but the Patriots game will be dry.

Showers and storms (again) on Monday. We’ll watch for any severe weather, of course, but this ISN’T the start of another bout of storms and rain. The rest of the week will be stellar with sun and dry air.

Enjoy the weekend!