HYANNIS – Tropical storm Jose is expected to deliver heavy rain and high winds to Cape Cod and the Islands Wednesday.
According the National Weather Service, winds will be steady throughout the day at 20-to-30 mph, with possible gusts to 50 mph.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami downgraded Jose’s intensity from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm early Wednesday morning.
In the core of the storm around 5 a.m., peak winds were clocked at 65 mph and the storm was moving to the northeast at 8 mph.
Tropical Storm Warnings and Flash Flood Warnings were in place for the Cape and Islands.
Eversource said they were ready to respond to any power problems that may develop during the storm.
“We continue to monitor Jose’s path very carefully and are ready to address any impacts to the electric system,” said Peter Clarke, Senior Vice President of Emergency Preparedness for Eversource.
Fishing boats at anchor in Ryder’s Cove in Chatham, ready to ride out the storm
Crews assisting with power restoration in Florida after Hurricane Irma are returning home to Massachusetts and ready to respond to any power outages if needed. All other Eversource employees are also on standby and prepared to assist with any potential storm restoration.
“We’re confident our ongoing technology upgrades, combined with our tried and tested emergency response plan, will enable us to safely and efficiently handle any issues that may arise, Clarke said”
Jose was already impacting transportation on the Cape and Islands early Wednesday.
Hy-Line Cruises canceled all ferry services. The Steamship Authority has temporarily suspended its ferry service on the Nantucket route due to high winds and rough seas.
Ferry service for Martha’s Vineyard is continuing on a trip-by-trip basis.
All of Wednesday’s (September 20) and Thursday’s (September 21) trips to and from Oak Bluffs are being diverted to Vineyard Haven.
The Steamship Authority advises their customers to check its website, www.steamshipauthority.com, for further announcements regarding the resumption of ferry service.
Cape Air also canceled all Cape and Islands flights Wednesday and will monitor the storms impacts for scheduled Thursday flights.
The Coast Guard was flying over the fishing grounds Tuesday, sending radio messages to the fleet about the impending storm.
They also asked anyone with small paddleboats and kayaks to make sure they were removed from shore so they wouldn’t drift away and prompt unneeded searches.
The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee has been monitoring the storm and planned to activate their Multi-Agency Coordination Center at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
Nauset Beach South and Nauset Spit were closed to all OSV use at 4:00 pm Tuesday.
Conditions on the beach will be reassessed Wednesday morning.
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