Tropical Storm Beryl Batters Massachusets

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

*
Perilous Times and Global Warming

Tropical Storm Beryl Batters Massachusets*

Friday July 21, 2006 10:01 AM

BOSTON (AP) - Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall on Nantucket early
Friday, bringing a steady, driving rain to coastal Massachusetts.

The storm's center hit around 3 a.m., said Jack Beven, hurricane
specialist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The wind and rain started to pick up just after midnight, said Rocky
Fox, owner of the Chicken Box bar there. But he wasn't scared: ``It's
the kind that puddles quick,'' he said. ``To us it's just a big old
Nor'easter.''

Officials said the region was faring well. The Coast Guard said they
hadn't heard of problems, and no power outages were reported.

Forecasters extended a tropical storm warning extended from Plymouth
south and west to Woods Hole, including Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's
Vineyard, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Forecasters said the storm may bring in tides of 1 to 3 feet above normal.

``You don't go outside and watch the winds. You don't go and watch the
waves,'' said Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist at the National
Hurricane Center.

At 2 a.m. EDT, the storm had maximum sustained winds of about 50 mph.
The storm was expected to weaken over the next 24 hours and lose
tropical characteristics by Saturday morning.

The Coast Guard was monitoring about 50 commercial fishing vessels still
on the New England waters near the storm's path late Thursday night, but
had no reports of vessels in trouble, said Chief Petty Officer Scott Carr.

Seas were expected to build to 15 feet southeast of Cape Cod and
Nantucket overnight.

Blake said forecasters expect heavy rainfall of about 2 inches on the
southeast Massachusetts coast and islands through midday Friday, with
tropical storm force winds over 40 mph.

A tropical storm watch was issued for eastern Long Island and parts of
Connecticut, but was discontinued early Friday as the storm moved northeast.

Workers at Nantucket Moorings on Thursday were making sure their
customers' boats were tied down securely, but they weren't panicking.

``That's all we can do for now - make sure lines are secure and people
know that the storm is approaching,'' said Leigh Van Hoven, office
manager of the company, which rents and sells moorings.

A record 28 named storms and 15 hurricanes, including destructive
Katrina, occurred during last year's June-November Atlantic hurricane
season.

The first named storm of the 2006 season, Tropical Storm Alberto, swept
over Florida in mid-June, then plowed northward along the coast past the
Outer Banks. It was blamed for one drowning.

---

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

---

Associated Press Writer Michelle Spitzer in Miami contributed to this
report.