Hurricane Fiona Approaches New England: What To Expect

BOSTON, MA — Hurricane Fiona has left a path of devastation across the Caribbean, and now it's moving toward New England.

Fiona will travel north along the East Coast far offshore of the mainland, but the storm could still cause some problems when it reaches New England Friday. It'll be a category 3 hurricane by that point.

The biggest issues will be felt in coastal areas, where surf will be high and choppy, according to forecasts. All of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Buzzard's Bay and southern Rhode Island will be under a high surf advisory from 4 p.m. Thursday until Friday evening.

Forecasts call for breaking waves 5 to 9 feet high. There's also a small craft advisory in effect through Friday evening for waters around Martha's Vineyard and Block Island.

But Fiona's biggest threat may come after the storm moves north of New England. The dwindling hurricane may leave behind strong rip currents that can make swimming deadly.

"Swells from distant Hurricane Fiona will cause high surf and potentially life-threatening rip currents along the Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts coasts," the National Weather Service warned.

If you're headed north of New England into Canada, Fiona will hit the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island as a cyclone late Friday and into Saturday.

Except for some possible thunderstorms Thursday evening, southern New England will have sunny skies and fall-like temperatures for the remainder of the week.