Southern New England on Friday braced for a second consecutive weekend of rough surf, dangerous rip currents and heavy rains as Tropical Storm Danny was expected to pass just to the east of the mainland Saturday.
The National Weather Service said large swells from the storm are expected to produce dangerous surf conditions and life-threatening rip currents along the Eastern Seaboard over the next two days.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation announced that it will close beaches in five communities on Saturday until further notice. The agency also canceled all public ferry service in and around Boston on Saturday, citing potential high seas, strong currents and heavy rain associated with Danny.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency urged boaters to be in port by Friday evening with securely moored vessels.
Spokesman Peter Judge said Danny and an unrelated weather front will dump heavy rain in the region from Friday through Saturday. One to 3 inches of rain was forecast throughout southern New England, with southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and nearby islands receiving 3-6 inches and some isolated areas seeing even higher amounts, he said.
In Pawtucket, R.I., organizers canceled a Taiwan Festival Day and Chinese dragon boat races scheduled for Saturday along the Blackstone River. Officials were concerned that heavy rainfall would make the swollen river unsafe for boaters.
In New Haven, Conn., officials at the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament removed four outdoor video screens as a precaution against high winds.
The two largest screens, 11 feet by 19 feet, were installed at either end of the stadium a week ago, and each weighs about 5,000 pounds. Two smaller boards, each weighing about 1,000 pounds, also were taken down overnight.
Tournament spokesman Matt Van Tuinen said officials were concerned the boards could come crashing down Saturday, when winds spawned by Danny are forecast to reach above 40 mph.
The giant scoreboards have been replaced by two smaller screens that were placed in two corners of the stadium floor.
The National Weather Service also issued a flood watch for parts of northern Connecticut and western Massachusetts.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
