MASSACHUSETTS – A late summer northeast storm could bring dangerous and destructive conditions to coastal regions later this week as some areas of the state will become soaked, posing additional erosion risks, while other areas may not experience a break in their historic dry spell.

A storm that has been brewing off the Mid-Atlantic coast and lashing the Carolinas with rain and wind all week moved north Thursday, bringing gale warnings off the New England coast and rain to the Cape side and islands, while skies remained clear across much of the rest of the state.

As the storm is expected to approach, the National Weather Service issued a high wave warning and a flood watch for the Massachusetts coast from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday.

The NWS said large breakers are expected in the surf zone, while flooding of 12 to 24 inches is forecast for low-lying coastal areas.

“Some coastal roads will become impassable during high tide,” the NWS said. “Flooding of 12 to 24 inches will affect roads on the North Shore from Salem and Marblehead through Gloucester to Newburyport.”
The rough surf causes beach erosion and creates debris on coastal roads. Many roads near Nantucket Harbor become impassable with 1 to 2 feet of water, affecting access to the
ferry terminals.

“Shallow flooding less than one foot deep will affect low-lying areas in Provincetown, primarily near the airport and Race Point Road. In Truro, low-lying areas near Pamet Harbor and along the Pamet River will experience flooding up to one foot deep.

“Hazardous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion are possible along the coast.”

According to the NWS, the greatest risk of moderate flooding is along the Plymouth coast, including the northward Cape Cod coast from Sandwich to Dennis.

Through Saturday, wind gusts of up to 25 miles will be from the east and northeast.

Hy-Line Cruises announced that due to weather conditions, the following sailings were cancelled on Thursday: Hyannis to Nantucket at 2:25 p.m.; Nantucket to Hyannis at 4:10 p.m.

What is less clear, however, is how many areas will receive much-needed rain after Boston (Logan Airport) experienced 29 consecutive days of no measurable rainfall – one of the five worst periods in history.

There is expected to be a sudden end to the rainfall, with areas in Rhode Island and Cape Town expected to see 1 to 2 inches of rain between Thursday and Saturday, other areas north of Boston will see less than 0.5 inches, and areas north and west of the city may see no rain at all.

The weather system will usher in a much cooler pattern, with this week’s highs of over 27 degrees Celsius struggling to rise above the 18-20 degree mark on Saturday, Sunday and next week.

(Scott Souza is Patch’s field editor for Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem, and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)