Ahead of a potential early season nor’easter that could pound New England, Islanders and transportation services are buckling down for the possibility of heavy wind and rain.
As of Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts a gradual increase in powerful wind starting Wednesday. Gusts up to 38 mph are expected Wednesday with Thursday at only slightly lower gusts up to 36 mph.
But the “heart of the storm” isn’t until late Friday, according to Hayden Frank, meteorologist at NWS’ Norton Office.
The NWS site currently forecasts heavy rain and gusts up to 40 mph on Friday and Saturday. But Frank noted that the forecast could change in the next two days, and Islanders should keep an eye out for whether the winds blow stronger than the current forecast and for the storm’s trajectory. He said gusts of 45 mph or even more than 60 mph is a possibility.
“It depends on how close the storm gets to us,” Frank said. The rain and “persistent northeast winds” mean some of the expected impacts to the Island from the storm include coastal flooding, beach erosion, tree damage, and potential power outages.
Frank said the storm’s strength will become more clear in the next two days. Winds are expected to go down starting Sunday, which is currently forecast to see gusts of up to 30 mph. While not rare, he said nor’easters are more frequent later in the fall and winter.
Preparations are underway for possible rough weather.
“We’re monitoring the weather closely,” Michael Gately, the Tisbury harbormaster, told The Times, noting this nor’easter seems “pretty gusty.” Gately said some boaters have already moved their vessels to Lagoon Pond and Lake Tashmoo for additional shelter.
The Steamship Authority issued a travel advisory to customers that said there are possibilities of cancellations on both the Woods Hole-Martha’s Vineyard and the Hyannis-Nantucket routes this week.
“High-speed service on the Hyannis-Nantucket route and all service to Oak Bluffs on the Woods Hole-Martha’s Vineyard route have the potential to be impacted the most,” the advisory reads. It also stated that all change and cancellation fees for reservations on Thursday, Sept. 24, and Friday, Sept. 25, are being waived. Reservation changes can be done online on the ferry line’s website, calling the reservation office at 508-477-8600, or at one of the terminals.
Other ferry lines that sail to the Vineyard are also cancelling trips. The Island Queen in Falmouth canceled sailing Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Hy-Line canceled multiple trips and is operating on a trip-by-trip basis, as is the Seastreak.
It’s not just the sea. Geoff Freeman, Martha’s Vineyard Airport director, said he expects delays during the “brunt of the storm” for Cape Air and JetBlue with “potential traffic flow delays … going down to [New York].”
“We are advising those who call us to contact your airline for possible rebooking to early or later flights over the next several days,” Freeman said.
