October Nor’easter advisory #3

We continue to monitor the nor’easter as it continues to escalate this morning. The wind and rain expected to peak this afternoon into this evening. Some of the impacts have decreased, primarily the wind & rain expectations and are identified in bold. The updated storm forecast is closer to the first advisory sent out Wednesday afternoon. This is going to be a long duration moderate impact storm bringing strong northeast winds, heavy rain, and the potential for minor to pockets of moderate coastal flooding through Friday.

The winds are expected to be steady northeast 25-30mph with gusts 40-50mph diminishing to less than 20mph Friday evening into Saturday morning. With most trees still full of leaves we would expect tree and limb damage which will likely cause scattered power outages, especially close to the coast. Expect a lot of leaves to fall, please be aware the leaves could cover up downed power lines. If you see downed power lines please call the Fire Dept. (911), National Grid for any power issues at 800-465-1212, and Eversource in Humarock at 800-286-2000.

The seas are rough and waves continue to build bringing nearshore waves to 10-20’ in height which will likely bring splash over and the potential for minor to pockets of moderate coastal flooding in some of our low lying areas. Fortunately we have nominal high tides less than 10’ between 10 and 11 am/pm Thursday and Friday. The wind and building seas will create a storm surge of 1.5 to 2.5’, the actual surge height we get will determine if we get splash over or minor to moderate coastal flooding. Tonight’s high tide (9.6’) at 10pm will likely have the highest flood impact due to the peak storm surge and wave heights.

Rain forecasts vary but we should expect at least 2-3” of rain before this storm exits sometime Saturday afternoon. Heavy rains could create some localized street flooding, please do not drive through any flooded roads.

Please keep all boats at your dock or mooring. We understand this is boat hauling season but any attempt to go outside the harbor or river would be extremely dangerous, calmer days will come. The harbormaster has asked that boat owners to check their boats dock lines to make sure your boat will be secure with the impacts being the worst along the immediate coast.

Please secure all outside furniture and grills as these could become projectiles damaging your home as well as your neighbors. Those homes along the immediate coast should prepare their homes for significant wave action for multiple high tides. If your car is parked in a flood prone area it would be wise to move it to higher ground. We ask that you stay informed and be prepared for this long duration storm.

Be prepared and Stay Safe!