Waves and storm surge crash over Ocean Drive in Newport Rhode Island. The waves were after the March 2 Nor’easter that hit the East Coast. Powerful waves crash against the seawall and into the road. By Olga Enger @ Shutterstock.com
On a cloudless day, when you look across Buzzards Bay from my parents’ front deck in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, you can see Woods Hole, a cut in the land separating Cape Cod from the Elizabeth Islands. The “Hole” as it’s commonly referred to by boaters can be a weekend rite of passage, literally, as you are met with strong currents, a narrow channel keeping you off the rocks, and often, too close for comfort to fellow boaters. The reward is Vineyard Sound, your gateway to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. In the winter, the boating traffic is mostly gone, but the current still rips.
Over the weekend, the huge Nor’easter Riley crashed into the region like a freight train cutting power to millions of residents. The highest recorded wind gust in the “Hole” was 88 mph. I can only imagine the ferociousness of the water crashing onshore and into anything else in its path.
In Newport, Rhode Island, a prominent 72-year-old local man was killed when a tree fell on him.
