Nantucket is under a tropical storm warning today as the remnants of Tropical Storm Elsa are forecasted to impact the island this morning and into the afternoon.
In its official storm warning, the National Weather Service in Boston stated that Nantucket should expect winds of 35 to 45 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph, and around an inch of rain.
The Steamship Authority said the Nantucket route would likely be affected from mid-morning to late afternoon, while the Hy-Line said its Nantucket ferry would operate on a trip-by-trip basis. The town pier was cleared of boats yesterday as a precaution, Harbormaster Sheila Lucey said, one of several preparations her department implemented on Thursday.
“I think it will be a fast-mover, but to be safe we cleared the town pier, spoke to everyone in the anchorage, and secured our boats at the Boat Basin,” Lucey said. “We’re going to put on extra lifeguards because we are expecting some big surf and rip currents. We’ve asked people to go their moorings or trailer their boats for the duration of the storm. I’d rather have them move it for one day than to have it get wrecked and the lose it for the summer. We’re hoping for the best and that it blows through quick.”
Lucey also urged kayakers and paddle boarders to stay out of the water on Friday. Meanwhile the Trustees of Reservations announced that the entirety of Great Point and the Coskata Coatue Wildlife Refuge will be closed today, with reopening decisions made tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Theatre Workshop of Nantucket was also watching the weather anxiously before making the call about its outdoor performance of Mama Mia tonight at Bartlett’s Farm.
