'State of emergency': People from New England to Canada brace for Hurricane Lee
FOX Weather's Robert Ray, Katie Byrne, Nicole Valdes, Bob Van Dillen and Max Gorden report from throughout Nova Scotia and Massachusetts.
Conditions to worsen along Canadian shore Friday night as Hurricane Lee makes final approach
Lee is on track to brush New England with rain, potentially damaging winds, and rough surf tonight-Saturday. The center of the storm will stay east of the U.S. and move into Canada.
From Massachusetts to Canada, FOX Weather stationed reporters, correspondents and photographers along the New England and Canadian coasts to capture how people are preparing for Hurricane Lee.
Lee is the 45th hurricane FOX Weather correspondent Robert Ray has covered, as he reported from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in Canada. The area is within the cone of Lee, meaning it could see some of the worst impacts.
Lee is expected to bring 20- to 40-foot swells and large waves, inundating much of the Yarmouth shoreline during high tide late Saturday morning. Additionally, the storm will bring heavy rain and winds as powerful as tropical storm gusts and perhaps Category 1 hurricane-force gusts of at least 75 miles per hour.
Locals are preparing for the storm, according to Ray. Power outages are of particular concern as the strong winds may knock down trees and their branches onto power lines. In preparation, Nova Scotia Power has deployed more than 600 people to areas that they believe may be affected.
Robert Ray at Yarmouth in Nova Scotia.
(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)
Further south in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Lee will have indirect impacts on the commonwealth and other parts of New England. Powerful winds began moving into the area Friday night, which could take down trees and power lines. Flooding from storm surge is also a concern.
FOX Weather multimedia journalist Katie Byrne spoke with boat owners to learn how they are bracing for Lee. She said many of them aren’t taking any chances and are quickly moving their boats out of the water ahead of the storm.
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On land, sandbags have been stacked up to protect homes from the water, as residents prepare to hunker down ahead of the storm, turning their city into a ghost town.
"Normally, it's a lot of hustle and bustle, but a storm (is) coming in," said Eddy Bonelli, harbor master at Bismore Park in Hyannis Harbor. "If people are smart, you stay home."
A boat that is about to be taken out of the water.
(Katie Byrne / FOX Weather)
A little west in Scituate Harbor, FOX Weather correspondent Nicole Valdes, reported that some of the storm’s effects, such as strong wind gusts, were already beginning to make an impact on Friday.
Impacts are expected to peak Saturday. In the meantime, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency for the state Friday.
"I declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts," Healey said. "I do this because it's necessary to get assets in place before anything lands here in Massachusetts. It puts us in the best possible position to be able to respond in the ways that we need."
Valdes noted that the commonwealth prepares for a storm that is at least one category stronger than what is forecasted in order to be as prepared as possible when the storm arrives. This includes positioning national guardsmen, utility workers and teams from agencies and organizations.
Cotton candy skies during sunset in Scituate, Massachusetts.
(Nicole Valdes / FOX Weather)
As the sun set and evening came, FOX Weather team coverage was on the ground in Maine.
In the town of Bar Harbor, which lies about 100 miles from the Canadian border, FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen reported that the main concern in the area is the confluence of high tide around midnight and the arrival of storm surge caused by Lee.
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Van Dillen said that high tide alone usually causes the water to rise about 11 feet and the storm surge is expected to be about 1-3 feet.
Another factor locals are considering is up to 5 inches of rain that is expected to fall on already saturated ground. Such conditions, combined with powerful winds blowing through trees still full of leaves, may lead to tree branches falling on power lines and leading to power outages.
Lavendar-gray skies over Bar Harbor, Maine.
(Bob Van Dillen / FOX Weather)
FOX Weather correspondent Max Gorden reported from South Portland, where conditions were milder than those seen in some other areas in the Northeast on Friday. Gorden noted that sailboats were out on the water, while kite surfers also were out enjoying the calm before the storm.
"Yeah, I'm up for a good storm," said Portland visitor Vincent Michael. "If there's a good storm, I'm all about it."
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Despite the beautiful day, many locals are still preparing for the storm. Local power provider Central Maine Power has been sandbagging critical infrastructure, along with staging crews around the state in anticipating of the storm coming to shore. FEMA, fire departments, police departments and emergency medical services have already readied themselves for Lee.