Hurricane Bill Taunts New England Coastline

EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — Hurricane Bill taunted the New England coastline Sunday, after closing beaches alarms and sirens filled the air warning boaters and beach goers along the coastline.

President Obama took no chances and planned a later arrival for his family vacation at Martha's Vineyard.

Early Sunday, the National Hurricane Center reported that Massachusetts was no longer under a tropical storm warning.

By mid-morning, Bill had become more of a tourist attraction than a major threat to the area.

People lined up at South Beach on Martha's Vineyard with cameras and camcorders watching as the giant waves rolled in.Several people were even brave enough to wade in the water despite the warnings of dangerous rip currents.

"It's just crazy out there," said James Costantini, 19, a lifeguard in Edgertown. "For Martha's Vineyard, for what we're used to, it's a 10 out of 10 in terms of danger. People should not be going in the water, should not be even close."

Residents were wiping sweat from their brow Sunday as property damage was kept to minimal. The water had reached as high as the sand dunes damaging a few lifeguard towers but other than that damage was non-existent.

"I'm pleased to be honest with you to see that we didn't lose very much during this storm, said Justin Wyner, 84, a part time resident of the island. "My biggest concern was what caused me to take all my boats and put all the work into bringing them way up into the harbor and securing them. I think that maybe because we did that, we didn't have a storm."

Forecasters expect Bill to move away from New England and closer to Nova Scotia, and is expected to reach Newfoundland by nightfall Sunday.

Estimated more than 50 flights were canceled at Halifax airport and all ferry services between Nova Scotia and Newfoudland were suspended for the day.

The Canadian Hurricane Center said southwestern Nova Scotia could possibly see 55 mph winds late Sunday, while eastern regions of the province could see up to 60 mph gusts or more.

On Monday, the storm should make landfall in Newfoundland, where the entire province is under a tropical storm watch with the lone exception of the Northern Peninsula.

On Sunday the storm had maximum sustained winds around 85 mph and was moving 31 mph north east. The storm is expected to lose strength as it churn over the cooler waters.

Even as a Category 1 the storm churned up rough seas and dangerous rip tides Saturday.

The Obama family delayed their plan for Sunday departure from Andrews Air Force Base to later in the day because of the weather. The worst of the storm was expected to pass by Martha's Vineyard prior to the Obamas arrival.

At Robert Moses State Park in New York, the beach was shut down Saturday as the high tide submerged the sand, though the beach opened later for sunbathing. Along some beaches in Delaware and New Jersey, no swimming was allowed.

The same high waves that worried safety officials, however, had surfers buzzing.

In Atlantic City, surfers joined together Saturday where 20-foot waves were to be expected but only a hand full were brave enough to weather the giant swells.

The stormy conditions were expected to last through the weekend.

"It takes a while for the ocean to relax" after strong storms, said Gary Conte, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "Until it does, riptides will make dangerous sport" for surfers and swimmers.

Hurricane Bill moved past Bermuda earlier Saturday, leaving behind sunny skies, debris and flooding, but no casualties. The storm cut power to about 3,700 customers and flooded some roads. All ferry service was canceled until Sunday.