Hurricane Lee updates: Storm makes landfall in Nova Scotia as post-tropical cyclone

Tropical storm warnings are in effect in parts of Maine.

Lee made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone in Nova Scotia Saturday afternoon, after downgrading from a Category 1 hurricane.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for portions of Maine.


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Lee's strong winds to reach New England by Friday afternoon

Lee, now a Category 1 hurricane, is located about 395 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and is threatening the East Coast with huge waves.

A tropical storm warning has been issued from Massachusetts to Maine, and on Friday afternoon, tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph or higher are expected to begin in New England.

The rain will begin Friday night in Massachusetts, starting on Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard after 9 p.m. and reaching Boston after midnight.

Lee will bring some minor storm surge Friday night. Waters could rise 1 to 3 feet from Long Island to Maine.

By late Saturday afternoon, Lee is expected to move into Canada, hitting the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia areas as an extra-tropical storm.

By Saturday night, Lee will move away from land.


Huge waves will be main threat for New England on Friday

With Hurricane Lee forecast to get closer to New England by Friday night, huge waves could batter East Coast beaches and coastal communities.

Waves up to 16 feet will be possible in Long Island, New York, on Friday and Saturday.

The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning from Massachusetts to Maine.

Wind-whipped rain will begin to fall in far southeastern New England near Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard after 9 p.m. ET on Friday and in Boston after midnight.

Lee will push minor storm surge into the coastal Northeast areas, from Long Island to Maine, where water will rise 1 to 3 feet and some minor coastal flooding will be possible.

The worst conditions on Cape Cod and in Boston will be Friday night into Saturday morning with gusty winds, some rain, huge waves and minor coastal flooding.

-ABC News' Max Golembo


Lee passes Bermuda, gets closer to New England

Hurricane Lee passed to the west of Bermuda late Thursday night, bringing wind gusts of up to 60 mph to the British island territory.

As of 5 a.m. ET on Friday, the eye of the storm was located about 215 miles northwest of Bermuda and 490 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service.

Lee is currently a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 85 mph. The storm is a wide cyclone with tropical storm winds extending almost 320 miles from the center.

Lee is forecast to continue moving way from Bermuda and get closer to New England by Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.

By Saturday afternoon, Lee is forecast to move into Canada and make landfall somewhere between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as an extra-tropical storm. Lee is expected move away from the United States by Saturday evening.

-ABC News' Max Golembo


Maine governor declares state of emergency

Maine Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Lee.

Mills also requested that President Joe Biden issue a preemptive Presidential Emergency Disaster to help facilitate federal resources and funds.

"We continue to strongly urge Maine people – particularly those Downeast – to exercise caution and to take steps to ensure they have what they need to stay safe as the storm draws closer," Mills said in a statement.

Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant, two utilities that operate in the state, are preparing for possible power outages and will be monitoring the grid closely, according to the governor.


What to know

There's an increasing likelihood that Hurricane Lee will bring wind, rain and flooding to coastal New England on Friday and into the weekend.

Lee is forecast to still be hurricane-strength by the time it passes east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Saturday morning.

Lee could bring strong, gusty winds from Rhode Island to Boston to Maine. The heaviest rain, wind and storm surge will be from Cape Cod to Bar Harbor, Maine, from Friday night through Saturday.

Up to 4 feet of storm surge is possible on Cape Cod and Nantucket.

Hurricane conditions are possible in eastern Maine.

Early Sunday morning, Lee may make landfall between coastal Maine and Nova Scotia as a post-tropical storm. Then Lee will head out to sea.