Here we go, Hermine finally inches her way closer to the southern coast of New England just in time for the Labor Day holiday. Northern New England, besides coastal NH, will be sparred by the high winds associated with post-tropical storm Hermine's wrath. Tropical Storm Warnings remain in place all along the southeastern coast of New England from Milford, Connecticut, to Narragansett, Rhode Island, to the Cape & the Islands.
The newest updates for is the High Surf Advisory that extends northward along the coast of Maine and New Hampshire as localized beach erosion is possible as 6-9' waves build in by this evening. Hermine's wind threat has weakened slightly and the extent of the duration of this high wind event. However, what remains the same are the impacts, especially along the southeastern coast with the battered beaches with rough surf, high tide, and a chance for some splash over onto coastal roadways as large waves and high tide reach their peak by the mid-afternoon.
With the wind gusts for the Cape & Islands, they are still anticipated to see gusts up to 35-45 mph, with the occasional 50 mph gust. Some of these strong winds could extend northwest from the Cape & Islands, as far north as Brockton and just south of downtown Boston.
Not only are we still tracking the gusty winds, but also gusty rain squalls as early as mid-afternoon for the Boston-area, and ramping up by the early evening. The rain coverage could go as far north as Concord, New Hampshire, but will provide little relief for the extreme drought. Areas like Falmouth & Chatham will likely see at least an inch of rainfall through Wednesday, otherwise, between a 0.10" to 0.30" is possible for the Boston-area and as far west as Worcester. What still remains clear is that Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and those outlying coastal regions of SE Massachusetts will see the highest wind gusts and a chance for minor flooding coupled with the high tide at 2 p.m.
As always with wind gusts of at least 35 to 45 mph, downed trees and power lines are possible, especially in those areas under extreme drought as the soil cannot sustain larger trees as well, power outages and blocked roadways due to downed trees are possible.
By Tuesday afternoon, the high wind gusts should diminish as Hermine weakens and eventually moves offshore. Dangerous rip currents and rough surf will still be a factor for Tuesday into Wednesday.
As always, you can stay up to date with the very latest forecast for your neighborhood on-the-go during your Labor Day Weekend by downloading the necn app on your smartphone or tuning into necn.
