MIAMI — As Hurricane Lee, a Category 1 system swirled southwest of Bermuda, Maine Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of emergency on Thursday, and the state was under its first hurricane watch in 15 years.
The water-logged region prepared for 20-foot (6-meter) waves and wind gusts up to 70 mph (112 kph), along with more rain.
A dangerous storm surge was projected for Friday evening for Massachusetts’ Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Island, while the brunt of the storm was to arrive early Saturday.
Although Lee did not contribute to the recent flooding, it threatened to exacerbate conditions in a region that is already much too wet.
As a result, forecasters have issued hurricane and tropical storm watches for coastal New England, from Massachusetts to Maine.
RELATED: New Yorkers urged to prepare for possible impact of Hurricane Lee
Lee is then expected to keep traveling north and lose strength in cooler waters before potentially making landfall over the weekend in Nova Scotia, Canada, as a possible tropical storm.
“Slow weakening is forecast during the next few days, however Lee is likely to remain a large and dangerous hurricane into the weekend,” the National Hurricane Center said. “Lee’s expected post-tropical transition will not diminish potential wind, rain and coastal flooding impacts in New England and Atlantic Canada due to the system’s broad wind field.”
Hurricane-force winds extend up to 115 miles (185 kilometers) from Lee’s center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 240 miles (390 kilometers), the center reported.
Forecasters warned of dangerous surf and rip currents in Lesser Antilles, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Bermuda and parts of the U.S. southeast coast. The conditions were expected to spread to the U.S. East Coast and Atlantic Canada in upcoming days.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Margot was spinning through open Atlantic waters on Wednesday. It was located 790 miles (1,270 kilometers) west-southwest of the Azores and had maximum sustained winds of 85 miles (140 kilometers). It was moving north at 12 mph (19 kph) and is expected to remain over open waters.
It is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane seasons and the fifth hurricane to form. The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 and peaked on Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast 14 to 21 named storms this season. Six to 11 of those are expected to strengthen into hurricane, and of those, two to five could develop into Category 3 storms or higher.
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