Blustery winds, high waves and strong surf have already closed beaches and prompted weather advisories as the Vineyard prepares for the western remnants from Hurricane Teddy on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for Dukes County, starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday and lasting through 8 p.m. According to the advisory, north winds are expected between 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 miles per hour possible.
“Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” the advisory says.
Along with the wind advisory, the weather service also issued a coastal flood advisory and hazardous weather outlook, particularly for the hours of 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday. Inexperienced swimmers are urged to stay out of the water, which is expected to have large breaking waves of six to 16 feet in the surf zone starting tonight and proceeding through Wednesday.
“Splash-over and minor coastal flooding is expected during the late Tuesday afternoon and early evening high tide,” according to the advisory.
Late Monday afternoon, the Steamship Authority put out a weather advisory for travel on Tuesday, saying the wind advisory for the Cape and Islands region could disrupt ferry service on both the Vineyard and Nantucket routes.
The SSA has already diverted dozens of trips from Oak Bluffs to VIneyard Haven over the past few days due to high winds from the north-northeast.
Beach managers have also begun taking precautions, with coastal erosion expected from extreme tides and waves. On Monday, the Trustees of Reservations put out a release announcing the closure of Norton Point, Cape Pogue and Wasque beaches due to the conditions.
“Norton Point Beach is closed due to heavy washover, flooding and washouts. We expect these conditions to continue through Tuesday,” the release says. “Cape Poge and Wasque is experiencing heavy washover, flooding and quicksand like conditions on trails and beaches. These properties will close Monday evening continuing through Tuesday due to Hurricane Teddy offshore.”
Although Teddy is expected to pass well east of the Vineyard, the hurricane has a wide cone of strong winds that are expected to affect the Island starting midday Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hurricane tracker. Astronomical high tides are also a factor.
The hurricane is expected to pass over Nova Scotia by midday Wednesday, and is currently expected to track about 350 miles east of the Island.
