Newport (RI) businesses wary of Danny

With tropical storm, Kennedy funeral, Boston faces a busy weekend (Boston Globe)

Weather forecasters warned today that Tropical Storm Danny may drench Massachusetts with several inches of rain Saturday, the day of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's funeral in Boston as well as a big move-in day for students in the academic mecca.

The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch this morning for some offshore areas south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and east of Cape Cod, warning of tropical storm force winds and seas building to 15 feet Saturday night.

Rain is expected to start early Saturday in the city and 2 to 4 inches could fall by the end of Saturday. Higher rain totals are expected on Cape Cod and the islands.

Danny may clip Nantucket about 8 p.m. Saturday as it takes a turn to the northeast, when the wind is expected to be howling near 46 miles per hour.

"I think rain is going to be more of a headline than the wind," said Frank Nocera, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

The disorganization of Danny makes predicting its path more difficult. It is possible that this storm may swing wide in either direction as a result of the exposed center and lopsided activity.