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Will Bill sideswipe Massachusetts?

E-mail|Link|Comments () August 20, 2009 07:56 PM

A National Hurricane Center chart showed there is a chance of tropical storm-force winds in Massachusetts this weekend.

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent

Bay State officials cautioned residents on Cape Cod and in the vicinity today to monitor the weather and review emergency response plans as the year’s first Atlantic hurricane churned northward, carrying strong winds and heavy rains.

‘‘We’re preparing for the worst,’’ said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. ‘‘We’re certainly keeping our fingers crossed.’’

As of 5 p.m. today, the eye of Hurricane Bill was about 595 miles south of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Bill was moving northwest about 18 miles per hour, the agency reported, and its center was expected to pass over the open water between Bermuda and the east coast of the United States early Friday.

With maximum sustained winds of nearly 125 miles per hour, Bill was a Category 3 hurricane late today, but could gain Category 4 status Friday, according to the center’s advisory. Forecasters said the closest approach from Bill will happen Saturday night and Sunday morning, with the storm passing well east of Nantucket.

But if the storm brushes the Cape, residents may experience high tides, strong winds, and dangerous swimming and sailing conditions, said Carrie Phillips, chief of natural resource management at Cape Cod National Seashore, which stretches from Chatham to Provincetown. The outer beaches on the Cape are also particularly vulnerable to erosion, she said.

Harbormasters in Chatham, Nantucket, and Yarmouth warned mariners — both local and visiting — about the hurricane, advising them to inspect their boats and move them to safer harbors if possible.

"I think a lot of our local folks are used to this kind of thing," said Stuart Smith, harbormaster for Chatham. "People should have a plan as to when and what they’re going to do."

Smith said the town will probably close at least one of its beaches tomorrow because of possible heavy surf and rip currents.

David Fronzuto, the Nantucket harbormaster, said the water around the island was peppered with almost 2,500 boats today, during the busiest two weeks of the summer. "I think the storm is starting to scare people," Fronzuto said. "Some of the smaller boats are leaving. It's a tough pill to swallow because the weather has been so bad all summer that you try to spend as many days in the water as possible."

Judge said communities must inspect their emergency shelters and potential evacuation routes in preparation for the storm. The state will step in, he said, if they need extra supplies, such as food, water, and beds.

The last hurricane to wreak major havoc in Massachusetts was in August 1991 when Bob landed near New Bedford, causing $1 billion in damage in Southern New England alone, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. In September 1985, Hurricane Gloria eroded several New England beaches and destroyed piers and roads.

Traditionally, as hurricanes travel north, their potency diminishes because of cooler waters, Judge said.

"The question is: How close is [Bill] going to come to us?" he said.