All Eyes on Kyle
Forecasters say Tropical Storm Kyle likely to develop into a hurricane.
Sept. 26, 2008— -- Parts of New England could be in for a beating if Tropical Storm Kyle stays on its current path.
Kyle, the 11th named storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, could become a Category 1 hurricane as early as Saturday, Dennis Feltgen, public affairs officer for the National Hurricane Center, said today.
The storm, packing sustained winds of up to 60 mph, is more than 400 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, and a tropical storm warning has been issued for the island, although Bermuda's not likely to take a direct hit.
"It's kind of a lopsided storm," Feltgen said, noting that tropical storm-force winds extend 180 miles to the northeast but only 20 miles to the southwest.
Forecasters do not yet know exactly where Kyle will make landfall or even if the United States will take a direct hit. But areas in northern New England, including Massachusetts' Cape Cod and Maine, "are in that cone of uncertainty right now," Feltgen said.
"We would urge residents in New England, particularly northern New England, to keep an eye on the storm" and prepare a hurricane plan, he added.
Jay Larcome, dockmaster of the Newburyport Harbor Marina in Newburyport, Mass., said he evacuated about 50 boats from his marina Thursday ahead of both Kyle and a large storm system that's pounding the area today.
"Our particular spot's ... open and exposed to the northeast winds," he told ABCNews.com
The marina is located near the mouth of the Merrimack River, which opens up into the Atlantic Ocean, on the northeast corner of Massachusetts near the New Hampshire border.
"We're very concerned about that storm coming up," Larcome said of Kyle.
The area is shielded some by Plum Island, Larcome said, but the area has been known to get hit hard by winds from passing storms, which cause the docks and boats to bounce around, damaging one another. The evacuated boats were sent about a half-mile up the river.
The marina is also home to one whale-watching boat that typically cancels trips when a large storm is forecasted, he said.
