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Coastal erosion eyed as storm hits state

E-mail|Link|Comments () November 14, 2009 01:14 PM

John Blanding/Globe Staff

Matt Woodbury of Beverly, Mass. tried to keep his feet dry today while crossing Summer Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff, and Terri Schwartz, Globe Correspondent

The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped buckets of rain on Massachusetts this morning, spawning gigantic puddles on some roadways and slowing, if not snarling, traffic. In coastal towns, officials kept an eye out for flooding.

SmartRoutes traffic reporter Adam Parchesky said accidents were scattered all over the Boston area, and advised people to drive very slowly and watch out for deep water.

"It's going to be a pretty bad day," he said.

A tractor-trailer accident this morning caused headaches for people in Boston, forcing the temporary closure of the MassPike westbound at the Prudential tunnel, Parchesky said.

The soggy conditions forced the postponement of a Tea Party anti-illegal immigration protest near Government Center.

In Lynn, motorists pulled over to watch the surf crash against the cement wall at Lynn Shore Drive.

Joe Malek, 62, a retiree from North Reading, said he was in Lynn for an appointment.

"It's quite extraordinary to see water splashing up right in front of you. It's every bit what I thought it would be," he said. Because he lives in landlocked North Reading, he doesn't often see the crashing surf in a storm.

"I love the big rollers coming in and hitting, just splashing. It's quite nice," said Malek.

The sea was splashing 60 feet straight in the air, not coming onto the sidewalk.

Ariel Greenidge of Beverly is a regular storm watcher."It's better to watch here," she said of the open ocean crashing before her. "I just love to look. It's so beautiful."

She rated today's surf "medium." "I've seen it taller waves," she said as she held the hood of her green slicker over her face.

For much of southern New England, the rain is expected to be heavy at times this morning, with periodic showers lasting into the evening, according to the National Weather Service. Winds are expected to reach 15 to 20 miles per hour, with temperatures in the low 50s.

The area is expected to receive between a half-inch to an inch of precipitation.

A coastal flood advisory is in effect until 11 a.m. in Barnstable, eastern Essex, Nantucket, and eastern Plymouth counties.

But Bill Simpson, a weather service meteorologist, said the greater Boston area could have been hit much harder.

Boston has received a little over an inch of rain, while offshore the storm dropped up to 20 inches of rain into the ocean, Simpson said.

High tide hit the Massachusetts coast just before 9 a.m., causing minor splashovers in some coastal towns. The worst is now over, he said.

"We don't want to over-hype this. ... It's going to gradually wind down from here," Simpson said. Only a few residual showers are expected to remain by Sunday morning.