Beryl Weakens, Heads Out To Sea
by Wire Service
July 22,
2006
By Richard C. Lewis
NARRAGANSETT, Rhode Island, July 21 (Reuters)
- Tropical Storm Beryl, the second of the 2006 Atlantic
hurricane season, whipped up chest-high waves as it blew over
Nantucket island on Friday before weakening and heading out to
sea.
Beryl hit the southeastern Massachusetts
island at about 3 a.m. (0700 GMT) with winds of up to 44 mph (71
kph), before encountering colder air over the Atlantic Ocean and
dissipating into a milder storm, the National Weather Service
said.
Beryl felt like a mild "Nor'easter," with wind
gusts and heavy rain, said locals in Nantucket, a historic
whaling port and upscale resort area.
"It wasn't a storm, really," said Sophia Orr
of Island Coffee, a bakery and cafe on Nantucket's Steamboat
Wharf.
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A tropical storm warning was lifted across
southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, although the storm
may cause higher tides than normal.
Beryl brought up to 3 inches (8 cm) of rain off
the coast and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, but
the center of Nantucket received only with about half an inch (1.3
cm) of rain, Bill Simpson of the National Weather Service in
Massachusetts said.
At 5 a.m. (0900 GMT), the storm system was moving
northeast at about 21 mph (33 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane
Center in Miami said.
Beryl drew dozens of surfers to Rhode Island's
popular Narragansett Bay beaches.
"The waves were better, so I was excited. You
caught a few and they were great," surfer Mark Osman, 30, said.
Locals on Cape Cod, a popular summer holiday
destination, said Beryl caused barely a ripple. "It's weakened a
lot," said Pat Smith of Riverview Bait & Tackle in South Yarmouth on
Cape Cod. "It's actually fairly decent out."
Beryl's likely path would take its remnants over
or near the Canadian province of Nova Scotia by late Friday or
Saturday.
Forecasters expect a busy June 1-Nov. 30 Atlantic
hurricane season this year, with up to 17 tropical storms.
Last year saw a record 28 tropical storms, 15 of
which strengthened into hurricanes with winds of at least 74 mph
(119 kph). Among them was Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New
Orleans, killed more than 1,300 people and became the costliest
natural disaster in U.S. history.
The first tropical storm of the 2006 season,
Alberto, came harmlessly ashore in the Florida Panhandle on June 13.
(Additional reporting by Chris Wilson in Washington and Jason Szep
in Boston)
