Tropical storm warning issued for South Coast ahead of Hurricane Jose

Sep 18, 2017

The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for southern Plymouth County as Hurricane Jose churns north.

While the storm is expected to stay far out at sea, heavy surf, strong winds and flooding rain may still punish the coast. The storm is forecast to pass southeast of Nantucket, “bringing a variety of significant hazards” Tuesday through Thursday.

Winds ranging from 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph may impact the area, possibly bringing scattered power outages. With heavy rains in the forecast, flash flooding is a possibility in some coastal areas.

On the coastal waters south and southeast of New England, seas are expected to build to over 20 feet. The National Weather Service advises mariners to be in port by Monday night to avoid “life threatening conditions.”

Currently, the National Weather Service is forecasting that tropical storm conditions may be possible starting Tuesday night and ending Wednesday evening.

Ahead of the storm, Wareham Department of Natural Resources Director Garry Buckminster urged boats to haul out their vessels.

Wind and rain from the storm have the potential to damage vessels left in the water, said Buckminster, which could spell expensive salvage bills for boaters. He urged to boaters to err on the side of caution by hauling boats out sooner than later. Should the storm intensify, many will likely be scrambling to prepare.

“You might start to see panic on Monday,” said Buckminster. “People tend to wait until the last minute.”