Massachusetts Spared From Ophelia

CHATHAM, Mass. – Tropical Storm Ophelia (search) rushed past southeastern Massachusetts with little effect Saturday other than wind and heavy rain during the night.

Waves reached 19 feet well offshore but Martha's Vineyard (search), Nantucket and Cape Cod were spared the brunt of the storm.

"It was pretty windy last night, but mostly just heavy sheets of rain," said Lt. Roger Cadrin of the Hyannis Fire and Rescue Department (search). He said there were no reports of major storm-related damage in Hyannis.

Tropical storm warnings for the Massachusetts coast were discontinued as the storm headed for Nova Scotia and the North Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm had sustained wind of 60 mph but was losing its tropical characteristics, the center said.

Meteorologists said Ophelia was about 70 miles southeast of Nantucket at 11 a.m. It was moving northeast at 21 mph, and was expected to be near over Nova Scotia late Saturday.

Nantucket measured wind gusts up to 40 mph and Martha's Vineyard got the most rain in the region at 3.44 inches, said meteorologist Mike Jackson at the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Coastal campgrounds had been cleared as a precaution and warnings were issued about expected strong riptides.

Extra food and water were sent to the National Guard's Camp Edwards near Bourne on Cape Cod, where about 200 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina are living. Counselors were on hand to help anybody who felt stressed by another storm, said Lt. Col. Paul G. Smith, director of public affairs for the Massachusetts National Guard.

Ophelia formed more than a week ago off the coast of Florida, then wandered on a slow, looping path before running along the coast of North Carolina. That state had extensive damage, including beach erosion and ravaged homes and businesses, but overall the region was spared the devastating blow that had been feared. It is the 15th named storm and seventh named hurricane of this year's Atlantic season, which ends Nov. 30.

Elsewhere, the 17th tropical depression of the season had formed in the Atlantic east of the Windward Islands, the hurricane center said. At 11 a.m., it was centered about 300 miles east of Barbados, more than 1,800 miles southeast of Miami, and was moving northwest at about 9 mph. The system's top sustained wind speed was 35 mph.