Nor'Easter Brings Wind And Rain, Disrupts Travel, But Leaves Nantucket Relatively Unscathed

A rare September nor'easter roared up the East Coast over the weekend, bringing gusty winds to Nantucket that canceled ferries and flights, along with heavy rain, big surf, erosion, and minor flooding. But the storm stayed far enough south that the island was spared the most severe impacts, as there were no significant power outages or major damage reported.

Both the Steamship Authority and Hy-Line Cruises shut down all ferry service to Nantucket on Saturday, after canceling most trips on Thursday and Friday. Service resumed on Sunday, but the situation threw a wrench into the weekend plans of families and guests attending the 34 weddings scheduled on the island during the nor'easter. 

A wind gust of 62 mph was recorded at Nantucket Memorial Airport on Saturday, among the highest in the state during the storm.

Harbormaster Sheila Lucey told the Current that the dinghy docks at the town pier sustained damage, as well as the end of the fixed pier, as the storm sent four-foot waves washing over the docks on Friday and Saturday. Lucey said a handful of boats were beached along the harbor, but nothing over 20 feet, as most of the vessels had been hauled out or taken shelter in the Boat Basin.

Lucey said the storm may not be remembered for how strong it was, but rather the duration of the wind and rain, which stretched over 72 hours. The consistent winds out of the northeast pushed up huge amounts of eelgrass along eastern-facing harbor beaches, including at the town pier and along Washington Street.

The surf kicked up by the nor'easter caused erosion around the island, most notably on the south shore, where a section of a shipwreck was uncovered near the sewer beds. The large fragment is believed to be from the 19th century schooner Warren Sawyer, which wrecked at Miacomet Beach in 1884.

The storm also dumped at least 2.4 inches of rain on Nantucket over 48 hours, according to Wannacomet Water Company director Mark Willett, who said he hopes the precipitation will move Nantucket out of its Level 2 drought status set by the state's Drought Task Force.

The rain, combined with the astronomical high tide, led to some minor flooding at the usual spots around the waterfront, including Easy Street, but it was not significant.

And check out these video clips from the storm captured by Nantucket Current and our readers: