As Hurricane Lee Passes, Hurricane Nigel on Horizon

Updated Sept. 18, 2023, 10:54 a.m. PST

• Hurricane Lee left over 100,000 homes without power in Maine and the Canadian province of Nova Scotia over the weekend.
• Tropical storm watches and warnings for New England and Canada were canceled Sunday, but high winds and dangerous surf conditions persist. Forecasters expect coastal flooding to completely subside by Tuesday. 
• Mid-September is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. A new storm, Hurricane Nigel, is brewing and might become a Category 3 storm in the coming week. 
• Nigel became a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds on Monday morning and was located about 935 miles from Bermuda. It is currently moving northwest at 12 mph.
• The National Hurricane Center said, “It seems like the long-awaited rapid intensification phase of Nigel is underway."
• Fifteen named storms have developed already this year, which is equivalent to an average entire season’s worth of hurricanes.

What's the story?

• Hurricane Lee, a Category 2 storm, is expected to make landfall in New England or Atlantic Canada this weekend. Lee is expected to grow in size as it moves north and could bring flooding, heavy rains, and storm surges.
• Due to Lee's size, hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from its center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend 265 miles from its center.
• The National Hurricane Center warned:

"Due to Lee's large size, hazards will extend well away from the center, and there will be little to no significance on exactly where the center reaches the coast."

• High winds could arrive as early as Friday evening. Dangerous surf and rip tides are already being reported along the Northeast coast.

Hurricane watches declared

• A hurricane watch was issued between Stonington, Maine, and the U.S.-Canadian border.
• A tropical storm watch was issued for the majority of coastal New England, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. A storm surge watch was issued for Cape Cod Bay. The National Hurricane Center warned of potentially "life-threatening storm surge flooding" in Massachusetts.
• New England is already struggling with flooding due to unusually heavy rainfall on Wednesday that washed out roads, created sinkholes, and destroyed buildings. The damage prompted the governor of Massachusetts to declare a state of emergency.
• Maine's Governor Janet Mills said:

"Exercise caution and take common-sense steps to ensure they have all they need to stay safe as the storm draws closer."

Are you worried about this year's hurricane season?

—Emma Kansiz 

(Photo Credit: NOAA)