Wilma-related storm to pound New England

BOSTON – Hurricane Wilma headed into the Atlantic on Monday, but forecasters said it would stay close enough to the East Coast to bring high winds and heavy rains to New England on Tuesday, and possibly even snow at higher elevations in Massachusetts.

Meteorologists said Wilma should continue moving northeastward, along the way absorbing Tropical Depression Alpha and colliding with another weather system heading into New England from the west early Tuesday.

“It’s almost a bizarre-type situation. It’s not something you see every day. It’s a three-way coming together of systems,” said Butch Roberts, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Gray, Maine.

In Maine, the storm was expected to bring 1 to 3 inches of rain, bringing Portland closer to a record rainfall for the month. As of midnight Monday, 12.17 inches of rain had fallen; the record for the month, 16.86 inches, was set in 1996. Winds will be in the 25 to 35 mph range, with gusts up to 50 mph along the coast, the weather service said.

The weather service issued a high wind warning for the Massachusetts coast, saying Wilma would bring sustained winds of 40 mph, with gusts up to 65 mph. A wind advisory was issued for Rhode Island and central Massachusetts, including Worcester. A winter storm watch was issued for the Berkshires beginning Tuesday evening, with the potential for up to 7 inches of snow at elevations above 1,500 feet.

The strongest winds were expected early Tuesday along the southeastern Massachusetts coast, including Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. High winds are expected to reach the Boston area and North Shore later in the day.

A coastal flood watch was issued for Massachusetts, where 2 to 4 inches of rain were expected. More than 3 inches could spark renewed flooding concerns in the Merrimack Valley, said Tracy McCormick, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton.

“It’ll be close,” Roberts said. “All it takes is a good stream of moisture.”