Northeaster promises another one-two of wind, rain

Officials were preparing for another day of storm cleanup after what forecasters predicted would be the second round of battering by heavy rains and high winds.

The northeaster that started Tuesday downed trees and caused coastal flooding, but much of the damage was under control by late yesterday, just in time for another night of rough weather.

Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said officials were particularly worried that high winds coinciding with a high tide early this morning could cause more flooding.

''Our concern is everywhere that has an east-facing coast," Judge said. ''So really, it's the bulk of our coastline from New Hampshire all the way down to the Cape and the Islands."

In Hull, one of the hardest hit areas, police Sergeant Gregory Shea said numerous calls regarding flooded basements were received, including one from a woman who reported a foot of water. Atlantic Avenue was closed for part of the morning due to flooding, and Shea said he expected it to be closed during this morning's high tide.

In addition to flooding, residents throughout the region were dealing with snapped trees and other concerns.

On School Street in Watertown last night, a fallen tree snapped power lines and touched off a two-alarm fire at a two-family house. No injuries were reported.

On Pembrook Road in North Andover, Katie Stewart was cleaning up from a 70-foot maple tree that landed on her mother's house late Tuesday.

Stewart said she was awakened about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday by a ''crashing noise that sounded like a jet crashed into the house."

When she reached her mother, Claire Stewart, who was sleeping downstairs, she found about half the house damaged by the tree, which had cracked about 12 feet above the root, she said.

The damages will require demolition of half the house, she said. Ariana, her 3-year-old daughter, slept through the noise.

In Marshfield, officials were keeping a close watch on a stretch of sea wall on Bay Avenue that was damaged by the storm Tuesday night.

''It's just cracked in a few places and it's moved a little bit in the last 24 hours," said fire Captain Gerard Cashman. ''They're getting a few trucks to try to reinforce it on the beach side. It's just a moment-to-moment situation."

If the wall were to give way, Cashman said, nearby houses probably would sustain heavy water and surf damage. Power and utilities were cut off to the three closest houses as a precaution, he said. The town recently approved funding in the next fiscal year budget to repair the wall, Cashman said.

In Boston, Bernie Lynch, director of parks maintenance, said the approximately 30 calls his office had received by late yesterday mostly concerned downed trees and branches.

At Logan International Airport last night, incoming flights were averaging a delay of more than 90 minutes, said spokesman Phil Orlandella.

By last night, NStar reported that about 1,000 customers were without power, primarily in its northern service territory from Framingham to Boston, said spokesman Mike Durand. Repairs have been hampered by a strike launched last week by 1,900 NStar's employees.

''We have two-thirds of our workers out on strike right now, so it's conceivable that there were some delays as a result of that," Durand said.

Last night, meteorologist Charlie Foley at the National Weather Service in Taunton predicted a repeat of the previous night ''with the astronomical high tides, the increasing winds and another bout of heavy rain," he said, adding there was a likelihood of thunderstorms along the coast, except for Cape Cod and the Islands.

Warnings for high winds and coastal flooding were put in effect until 5 this morning, Foley said, with high tide cycles expected between midnight and 3 a.m. The storm will have dropped a total of 2 to 3 inches of rain in Boston by the time it ends.

Temperatures should reach normal levels for this time of year -- about 70 degrees -- by Monday, Foley said.

But that may be little consolation to bird watchers, who reported that the state's peregrine falcon chicks may have become casualties of the the storms.

Tom French, who heads the state's endangered species program, told the Associated Press that biologists have found only four successful nests, including three in western and central Massachusetts.

Another half-dozen pairs are missing from their usual haunts in downtown Boston, Lawrence, Lowell, and Fall River, French said.

Globe correspondent Amanda Pinto contributed to this report.