Hurricane Lee path live: Storm nears landfall as Massachusetts and Maine under state of emergency

New England braced for the landfall of Hurricane Lee on Friday with winds expected to near 85mph and 3ft of possible storm surge. Maine declared a state of emergency as the state issued its first hurricane watch in 15 years. Massachusetts also declared a state of emergency on Friday. Lee was downgraded to a Category 1 but it is still expected to be a ‘large and dangerous storm’ this weekend, forecasters warned. Lee remained a hurricane with 80mph winds at night as it headed toward New England and eastern Canada with 20-foot ocean swells, strong winds and rain. Forecasters said there would be winds topping 40mph across the region, with peak winds reaching upward of 65mph ahead of landfall expected today. The hurricane picked up speed as it turned north on the approach to the coast of New England on Friday. Lee is then expected to move across the border and impact Atlantic Canada on Saturday night and Sunday. Storm surge is also a threat to coastal areas, particularly if it occurs at high tide. Key Points Rain-soaked New England hit by likely tornado ahead of Hurricane Lee’s arrival State of emergency declared in Maine as Lee approaches Bermuda pounded by heavy surf from Hurricane Lee Where is the storm currently? When will Hurricane Lee reach New England? Hurricane Lee in images: A surfer takes advantage of waves produced by the storm 06:00 , Graig Graziosi Surfers in New York and New England took their boards out one last time on Friday before Hurricane Lee arrives in the region on Saturday. Surfers spend a day at Rockaway Beach as impact from Hurricane Lee delvers large surf and rip tides to much of the Northeast on September 14, 2023 in New York City (Getty Images) WATCH: Maritimers buckle down for Hurricane Lee 04:59 , Graig Graziosi Residents of Canada’s Maritime Providences prepared Friday for Hurricane Lee, which is expected to make landfall on Saturday afternoon. Watch how they prepare for the storm below. Coastal Maine could see 15-feet high waves due to Hurricane Lee 04:33 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar The storm is projected to be more than 400 miles wide with tropical-storm-force winds when it reaches land, creating worries of power outages in Maine, the nation’s most heavily forested state, where the ground is saturated and trees are weakened from heavy summer rains. Lee remained a hurricane with 80mph winds at night as it headed toward New England and eastern Canada with 20-foot ocean swells, strong winds and rain. Forecasters said there would be winds topping 40mph across the region, with peak winds reaching upward of 65mph ahead of landfall expected today. While landfall was projected for nearby Nova Scotia, the Category 1 system was big enough to cause concerns over a wide area even if it weakens to a tropical storm. Parts of coastal Maine could see waves up to 15-feet high crashing down, causing erosion and damage, and the strong gusts will cause power outages, said Louise Fode, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Maine. As much as 5 inches of rain was forecast for eastern Maine, where a flash flood watch was in effect. NOAA model shows Hurricane Lee’s predicted trajectory 04:00 , Graig Graziosi The NOAA has released a new trajectory model showing the predicted path Hurricane Lee will take when it makes landfall near the US and Canadian borders on Saturday. Hurricane Lee is a Category 1 storm, and is expected to bring high winds and strong storm surges to the region. An NOAA map showing the predicted trajectory of Hurricane Lee as it continues on its path through New England and eastern Canada (NOAA) How hard will Hurricane Lee hit New England? 03:49 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar New England is known for its fickle weather, powerful nor’easters and blizzards. Destructive hurricanes, however, are relatively rare and typically don’t pack the same punch as tropical cyclones that hit the Southeast. New England, in the crosshairs of Hurricane Lee, is usually protected from the worst of a hurricane’s wrath by the cold waters of the North Atlantic, and that’s expected to help reduce Lee to a tropical storm by the time it arrives by today morning A number of factors determine the path and strength of a hurricane. But the warm waters that can strengthen a hurricane are typically south of Cape Cod. North of there, the Atlantic waters are much colder More than 3 million people under hurricane or tropical storm watches 03:00 , Graig Graziosi More than 3 million people between New England and Canada’s Maritime Provinces are under either tropical storm or hurricane watches as Hurricane Lee moves closer to landfall. The hurricane is expected to make landfall on Saturday afternoon. The storm is forecast to produce winds of up to 75mph (121km/h) in the affected region. CBS News senior weather and climate producer David Parkinson predicted that the Maritime Provinces would see the worst of the storm, but noted that 15 foot waves would likely batter New England as the storm moves through. ‘Today is the last day to prepare’ warns meteorologist as Hurricane Lee closes in on New England 02:00 , Graig Graziosi Stephanie Abrams, a meteorologist with The Weather Channel, warned residents of New England and Canada’s Maritime Provinces that today was the ‘last day to prepare’ before Hurricane Lee arrives with strong winds, 2 to 4 inches (50-100ml) of rain, and signficant storm surges. ‘Today is the last day to preparshe told CBS Mornings on Friday. ‘Conditions go downhill tonight, and tomorrow, Lee will be battering parts of New England. The strongest winds are expected to be along the coast.’ Hurricane Lee is expected to make landfall on Saturday afternoon. WATCH: Hurricane Lee and travel impacts 01:00 , Graig Graziosi Nasa reveals how much hotter 2023 summer was than average Saturday 16 September 2023 00:00 , Graig Graziosi Warming seas, caused by the fossil fuel-driven climate criss, have helped to produce more severe hurricanes in recent years. As Hurricane Lee closes in on New England and Canada’s Maritime Provinces, NASA has marked 2023 as the hottest year on record, The Independent’s Stuti Mishra reports. Earth recorded its hottest summer on record this year, data from the American space agency Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) confirmed in new maps that reveal how quickly the world is heating up. The last three months had the hottest summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest winter in the Southern Hemisphere, Nasa and Noaa said on Wednesday in a release. Rhode Island works to secure ‘Independent Man’ statue atop the capitol before Hurricane Lee arrives Friday 15 September 2023 23:00 , Graig Graziosi Governor Dan McKee of Rhode Island told the Associated Press that crews were working to secure the state’s iconic 11-foot-tall ‘Independent Man’ statue above the State House dome on Friday before Hurricane Lee’s winds blow in on Saturday. The 500-pound statue was shored up against the storm’s rain and winds. Crews work atop the Rhode Island State House to secure the ‘Independent Man’ statue and its base, revealed by drone footage to be ‘separating’ from the dome. This was not part of the exterior restoration work, says @GovDanMcKee – cost is yet to be determined. -SK #WPRO pic.twitter.com/Oc9GXJXCmH – NewsTalk 99.7 & AM 630 WPRO (@wpro) September 15, 2023 Beaches close ahead of Hurricane Lee Friday 15 September 2023 22:00 , Graig Graziosi East Hampton, New York, shuttered its beaches on Friday ahead of Hurricane Lee. Swimming – and in some cases even walking – at the beach was prohibited due to the dangerous surf rolling in as a result of the s