Earl to Bash Nantucket, Cape Cod, Boston Tonight
What will Earl's impacts be on the Northeast, and when will they happen? Join Elliot Abrams and Evan Myers for the details.
Earl will bash Nantucket and Cape Cod with 50- to 70-mph winds and torrential rain tonight, while gusty winds and localized flash flooding also threaten areas as far west as Boston.
The storm will make its closest brush with the U.S. coastline tonight as it passes within 40 to 80 miles southeast of Nantucket.
While winds associated with Earl will be weakening, the area of strong winds will be spreading out, easily encompassing the island, as well as Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, southeastern Massachusetts and the eastern part of Rhode Island.
The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center reports that winds of tropical storm force are expected in this region, though hurricane-force gusts can not be ruled out on Cape Cod and the nearby islands. Winds as far west and north as Boston, Providence, R.I., Portsmouth, N.H., and Portland, Maine, as well as eastern Long Island and Down East Maine could down trees and power lines, leading to power outages.
In addition to the winds, the storm will also produce a storm surge of 3-6 feet, while battering waves cause coastal flooding, beach erosion and overwash onto low-lying roads.
Heavy rain will be another issue. The storm's outer rain bands were already spreading northward through southern New England Friday afternoon.
Rain and gusty winds will continue expanding across New England tonight with rainfall totals reaching 2 to 4 inches is forecast over far southeastern Massachusetts. Rainfall on this order will be enough to cause flash flooding, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
Farther north and west, rainfall totals are expected to average between 1 and 2 inches from eastern Connecticut to Boston and Down East Maine.
Earl is expected to make landfall over southwest Nova Scotia Saturday morning then speed off to the northeast across the Canadian Maritimes throughout the day. As Earl moves away from the northeastern U.S., conditions will improve. Windswept rain will continue affecting Maine Saturday morning, though much of the rest of New England will already have dried out.
Content contributed by Heather Buchman Meteorologist
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People need to pay close attention to the UV index during this time of year. On a sunny day late in the spring and into the summer, the UV is usually at least an 8, which is very high. Readings over 11 are considered extreme values in which only 10 minutes of full exposure to the sun will produce a sunburn.
This Day In Weather History
New Hampshire (1814)
A tornado crossed Merrimac, Litchfield, Londonderry and North Chester. The same storm produced hailstones that had an 11-inch circumference and weighed 1/2 pound.
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More rain in an already wet month. Monthly totals topped 11 inches at New York City, 9 inches at Bridgeport, Conn., and 8 inches at Baltimore (all three totals set records for May).
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