Hurricane Lee is predicted to batter coastal New England and Atlantic Canada late Friday with potent winds and heavy rain that could cause flooding and power outages in some areas. Forecasters have warned that inland areas of New England are unlikely to be greatly impacted as the eye of the storm is set to keep moving off the US East Coast.

However, the vast storm isn’t posed to spare eastern New England and portions of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The areas are expected to be drenched with up to four inches of rain from Friday night into Saturday. The sheer size of the hurricane could also result in power outages due to strong winds capable of taking down power lines and potential flooding incidents.

The Canadian Hurricane Center on Thursday issued a tropical storm warning for New Brunswick from the US-Canada border to Fort Lawrence, including Grand Manan Island. Another tropical storm warning has been declared for the coast of Nova Scotia from Fort Lawrence to Point Tupper.

As per the hurricane center, southern New England is expected to face tropical storm conditions with winds reaching speeds of at least 39 mph starting from Friday afternoon. By the early hours of Friday, beach conditions had notably worsened with dangerous rip currents and surf reported along much of the East Coast.

Maine Governor, Janet Mills, declared an emergency on Thursday in response to the approaching storm and solicited federal aid. As of early Friday, the Center of Lee, a Category 1 hurricane, was estimated to be about 215 miles northwest of Bermuda, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

Despite the anticipation that the storm may weaken as it comes closer to the land, its immense size could still result in a battering of coastal New England and Atlantic Canada with potent winds. Also, warnings of hurricane-strength winds (at least 74 mph) have been raised for the northern coast of Maine extending to parts of the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Saturday. However, a larger area of New England and Atlantic Canada may experience tropical storm-force wind gusts.

Moreover, safety concerns have spurred the closure of provincial and wildlife parks in Nova Scotia on Friday as Lee’s arrival draws near. The storm is forecasted to deliver its heaviest rainfall over Maine on Saturday, which could extend into the neighboring states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Over the weekend, parts of New England extending from Rhode Island to northern Maine could receive between 1 to 2 inches of rain. Other regions such as the Massachusetts Cape and a significant area in Maine could see an additional 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, potentially raising the total to 6 inches in some cases.