WOODS HOLE, Mass.—The Coast Guard has closed ports in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island as a precaution until the passage of Hurricane Earl.
The action Friday includes ports in the southeastern New England sector that includes Narragansett Bay, Mount Hope Bay, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Vineyard Sound, and Nantucket Sound.
The order closes the ports to commercial traffic not having specific Coast Guard permission until Earl passes and waterways are checked for any post-storm navigation hazards. Some ferries were being allowed to operate on a case-by-case basis. Recreational boaters were advised to seek shelter.
Earl, rated a Category 1 storm early Friday afternoon, was expected to pass 50 to 75 miles southeast of Nantucket on Friday night.
