As of early Sunday morning, Hermine has made an eastward turn farther than expected, away from the northeast coast. She is still expected to turn slightly north and west within the next 24 hours, so we are not out of the woods just yet.
What that means for us in the coastal communities of Rhode Island, Massachusetts including the Cape and the Islands, is that the onset of near tropical storm force winds will likely be slightly later than previously anticipated.
We will still see the winds pick up starting this evening after 8 p.m. Peak wind gusts of at least 40-50 mph are possible, especially for Nantucket, Cape Cod, and the southern coastal communities. With at least a 24 hour duration of these high winds, downed trees, power lines, are possible in these coastal communities.
Otherwise, these strong winds can extend into Rhode Island, and northward towards downtown Boston, but at this time, that looks to be the extent of the area that will see the high winds associated with Hermine.
As far as much needed rainfall in the extreme drought-stricken areas, the earliest chances for rain to move into the Cape and Islands still remains later tonight, likely after midnight. Some of these cells could produce a good squall line (heavy downpours with high winds), which could cause downed trees since most trees still have their leaves.
For the extent of the rain and how much, by dinnertime Labor Day Monday, anywhere north and west of Concord, New Hampshire will likely have a great evening for grilling and celebrating the holiday, dry but slightly more breezy than the past couple days. Otherwise, for the Cape and the Islands, at least a quarter of an inch is expected, meanwhile a tenth of an inch is expected for the Boston-area.
There’s still a threat of beach erosion and minor coastal flooding in the areas under the Tropical Storm Warning and Watches. That is if the timing of the rain and wind gusts peak with the high tide around 1 a.m. Monday. We will continue to give you the very latest updates as Hermine makes her way closer to New England.
