National Weather Service forecasters issued a High Surf Advisory for parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island Tuesday, warning of “life-threatening” swimming and surfing conditions.
In Massachusetts, the advisory covers Dukes and Nantucket counties. It begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday and continues until 8 p.m. Thursday.
Forecasters expect large breaking waves growing each day, and peaking on Thursday with waves of 8 to 13 feet.
“Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to life-threatening surf conditions,” forecasters wrote.
The warnings come as Hurricane Erin passes to the southeast of the region this week, churning up significant swell in its wake that will eventually reach New England. Along with elevated surf, the gradient between the hurricane and an area of high pressure over southern New England could cause gale-force winds over Cape Cod and the Islands on Thursday.
But for the rest of the Bay State, Thursday and Friday will likely be “generally breezy” before Erin’s influence diminishes.
Erin lashed part of the Caribbean with rain and wind Monday. Forecasters are confident it will curl north and away from the eastern U.S., but tropical storm and surge watches were issued for much of the Outer Banks.
By early Tuesday, Erin had lost some strength from previous days but was still a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was about 675 miles (1,090 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda and 770 miles (1,240 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras and was moving northwest at a slower 7 mph (11 kph).
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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