Hurricane Lee will make landfall in southern Nova Scotia on Saturday, but the Category 1 storm is already having an impact up and down the East Coast.
Tri-state coastal communities already started feeling the effects of Lee on Friday, where massive waves pounded the shores on Long Island. High surf advisories, coastal flood advisories and high rip current risks were issued through Saturday. The worst wave action will be on the east end of Long Island, out on Montauk.
Closer to New York City and down the Jersey Shore, the breakers were still expected to be big, but not the 10-16 foot waves seen off Long Island.
Forecasters have the Category 1 hurricane passing approximately 250 miles east of Montauk between Friday night and the early hours of Saturday. Winds will be one of the major signs the approaching hurricane is making its way off the coastline and getting closer to its landfall to the north. Conditions started getting breezy on Friday.
Gusts started to gradually tick up on Friday (25-30 mph) before peaking on Saturday (35-40 mph). The east end of Long Island should see the strongest gusts. The National Weather Service says winds will start of weaken by the evening.
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Those along the ocean coastline won't just see winds picks as Lee moves through the Atlantic -- wave heights could prove dangerous as well.
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Starting Friday, waves off eastern Long Island could rise to heights between 4-8 feet. Forecasters predict heights to peak Saturday around 10-16 feet, before dropping only slight on Sunday between 9-12 feet.
The significant wave heights may cause dune and beach erosion. The following graphic shows the major threats over the course of this weekend:
Ahead of Lee's coastal pass by, large sections of New York City were put under an advisory for potentially hazardous beach conditions and coastal flooding. The town supervisor for Southampton declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, with trucks and sand standing by to respond to whatever Lee brings.
The NYC Emergency Management Department said city residents should "remain alert and take preparedness actions," particularly those in coastal areas. A coastal flood advisory was issued for southern Queens.
Tropical storm warnings are confined to the New England coast.
In the agency's Thursday warning, officials warned of what could be minor flooding in low-lying areas, like roads and parking lots. They also warned of life-threatening rip currents through Saturday night for Atlantic-facing beaches.
“While City beaches have closed to swimming for the season, they do remain open to surfers, and we are advising caution when entering the water this weekend,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Despite being some of the strongest swimmers in the city, we are urging surfers to be aware of the high rip current risk as we experience the aftereffects of Hurricane Lee.”
By Sunday, an approaching front brings the clouds back with showers likely overnight Monday into the morning commute. A nice last week of summer is ahead.
