Video: Sandwich, Truro dunes breached [Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.]

March 07--A wind-whipped storm is slamming the Cape this morning, bringing high wind gusts, power outages and high tide dune breaches in Sandwich and at Ballston Beach in Truro.

At high tide this morning, ocean water rushed through a dune at Town Neck Beach, which had heavy damaged from the February 9 blizzard. A witness told the Times he saw a 10-foot-square piece of the dune -- with grass on it -- wash right through the breach.

At the other end of the Cape, seawater from the Atlantic Ocean once again poured through a breach in the dunes at Ballston Beach and into the Pamet River Valley. The same event -- not unprecedented historically, but fairly uncommon -- occurred during the February blizzard.

As of 6:45 this morning, about 185 NStar customers on Cape Cod were without power, according to the utility's online outage map. At 112, Sandwich had the most customers without electricity.

Coastal flood warning up

A coastal flood warning is in effect until 10 a.m. Friday with the potential for moderate flooding for this morning's high tide and minor to moderate coastal flooding for this evening's high tide, according to the National Weather Service.

High tides this morning are from 6:30-8 a.m. and tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. and 7:30-9 a.m. Friday. The greatest impacts are expected during this morning's high tide and the Friday morning high tide, which are higher astronomically than this evening's high tide, the weather service said.

The weather service's website forecast warns that the flooding concern "is heightened by the expected duration through multiple tide cycles and existing vulnerabilities from the February 9" blizzard. Some vulnerable areas may see a flood of 1 to 3 feet during this morning's high tide with spotty damage possible from waves.

"The Friday morning high tide has the potential to be quite dangerous and could be similar to or in a few spots even worse than the February 9 storm tide."

On the Cape, Sandwich, which suffered severe damage during the February blizzard, is considered particularly vulnerable today and tomorrow. The weather service says the town's coastline could see moderate to major flooding this morning, moderate flooding this evening and major flooding tomorrow morning.

A high wind warning is also up today through tomorrow morning with northeast 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.

Ferry cancellations

Due to the storm, the Steamship Authority has canceled the following morning ferry runs:

- Island Home ferry, 7:00 a.m. Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole

- Island Home ferry, 6:00 a.m. Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven

- Martha's Vineyard ferry 6:00 a.m. Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole

- Sankaty ferry 7:15 a.m. Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole

- Sankaty ferry 6:15 a.m. Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven

- Martha's Vineyard ferry 7:00 a.m. Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven

- Gay Head ferry 6:00 a.m. Hyannis to Nantucket

- Gay Head ferry 8:45 a.m. Nantucket to Hyannis

For more information, please call 508.228.0262 or 508.771.4000. Current Conditions may be viewed at www.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/OpsInfo.cfm

Hy-Line Cruises canceled its 7:45 a.m. Nantucket to Hyannis ferry. Call (800)492-8082 with schedule questions.

Eric Williams and Jason Kolnos contributed to this story.

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