Hurricane Larry expected to impact Massachusetts coast, bringing dangerous surf and rip currents
Hurricane Larry shouldn’t be anything like the last tropical storm that rolled through Massachusetts, but the powerful hurricane is expected to still impact the Bay State later this week.
The intense Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph is expected to pass well offshore New England, but it could deliver dangerous surf and rip currents to the coast.
The significant swells from Hurricane Larry are “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
“It could be pushing some ocean swell toward the New England coast, and could create some concerns for rip currents and rough surf along the coast,” said William Babcock, a meteorologist at National Weather Service’s Boston office.
The surf along the Massachusetts coast is expected to be 3 to 5 feet on Thursday, then rising to 5 to 8 feet on Friday, and then coming back down on Saturday.
“Friday seems to be the jackpot at this point,” Babcock said. “It should still be rough on Saturday, but it will be starting to come down at that point.”
Larry is forecast to approach Bermuda during the next several days, likely as a major hurricane, bringing a risk of strong winds, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding to the island by the middle of this week.
Before the Massachusetts coast feels the impact from Larry, the Bay State should enjoy some dry weather later Monday and Tuesday with very pleasant temperatures in the 70s and 80s.
Another cold front is expected to then pass through late Wednesday into Thursday, bringing a period of showers and scattered thunder. Temperatures through the week should be near normal.
Massachusetts has been drenched in rain during the last couple of months. Four tropical storm systems have barreled through the Bay State this summer, leading to non-drought conditions for the majority of the state. After Hurricane Ida’s remnants last week, Boston’s rainfall total of 4.23 inches already exceeded the average September rainfall total of 3.56 inches.
The only part of southern New England with drought conditions is on the Cape and Islands. As of the end of August — which was before the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought several inches of rain — the Cape and Islands ranged from abnormally dry to severe drought.
Parts of northern New England also range from abnormally dry to severe drought.
The National Weather Service Boston tweeted, “Might be counter-intuitive after all the rain we received across Southern New England in the last few weeks but parts of Northern New England are currently in moderate to severe drought.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3h3xITu
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