Tropical storm warnings for Massachusetts

M. Ressler, Lead Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

Aug. 22, 2009 2:15 pm ET

Hurricane Bill is accelerating north, well off the Eastern U.S. coast, and is still expected to turn northeast later today. Bill made its closest pass to Bermuda early this morning.

As of 2 pm EDT, Hurricane Bill is located 365 south of Nantucket, Mass.

Battering waves and dangerous rip currents have already been impacting parts of the Eastern Coast including the Outer Banks, and high waves will spread into New England tonight into Sunday, topping 20 feet along Cape Cod and the Islands.

Some beach erosion and minor costal flooding are possible, particularly along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Long Island, and Down East Maine.

Maximum winds remain at 100 mph making it a category 2 hurricane, but these winds are nearer the center. Tropical storm force winds however, extend outward up to 275 miles from the center, making Bill a large hurricane.

Overnight, Bill will be making its closest pass to the southeast Massachusetts coast, include Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard and some of the tropical storm force winds could reach these areas. A Tropical Storm Warning has been posted for these areas where winds could exceed 40 mph.

The worse of the impacts have already occurred in Bermuda, and all warnings have been dropped for the island.

Hurricane Bill will rapidly skirt past Nova Scotia later Sunday, and then move northeast out into the North Atlantic.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, a tropical wave was located about midway between the Leeward Islands and Cape Verde Islands. It was producing some disorganized showers and thunderstorms while moving west, but was showing no signs of organization at this time.

In the eastern Pacific, a couple of tropical waves were being watched, but these were well away from land.

The most notable one has become Tropical Depression 11-E and is located under 1300 miles east-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands.

In the western Pacific, Typhoon Vamco was located well northwest of Wake Island and is forecast to continue moving north; it will remain well east of Japan.