As of Sunday morning, Jose continues to slowly work northward between the United States and Bermuda. The storm is maintaining its intensity for now, but as it encounters less favorable upper-level winds and cooler ocean waters it will weaken.
It’s likely to make a close pass to New England sometime Tuesday into Wednesday. It will get close enough to create impacts for parts of the area.
Waves: Wave heights are already building, especially for south facing coastlines this weekend. That will continue into Tuesday and early Wednesday, when 15-25’ waves will be common across New England waters. Wave heights will slowly decrease late week, but before that happens expect areas of significant beach erosion, especially from Cape Cod to Nantucket.
Coastal Flooding: With the large waves, and astronomically high tides this week, there is likely to be some coastal flooding. The risk for coastal flooding at high tide is most significant for east and southeast facing areas on Tuesday, with the risk shifting to north facing beaches on Wednesday as the storm starts to pull away.
Wind: Gusts will reach 40-60 miles per hour at the coastline, especially for parts of the South Coast, South Shore, Cape Cod, and the Islands. Winds will be less significant the farther inland you travel.
Rainfall: Tropical downpours will pivot up from Jose on Tuesday, lasting into Wednesday. Just like with the wind, the heaviest rain will fall in parts of Southeastern Massachusetts, and potentially along parts of the Maine coast. Several inches of rain are likely in these areas. The exact placement of the heaviest rain, sparked by tropical rain bands, will be determined by the storm’s final track. These areas have been dry and could actually use the rain. Rainfall intensity and totals will drop off as you head northwest, generally speaking.
All the while, it’s worth noting that Hurricane Maria will be bearing down on parts of the Caribbean, including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, areas still picking up from Irma.
