Henri live updates: New York declares state of emergency, braces for landfall

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(NEW YORK) -- Henri continues to churn across the Northeast after weakening from a hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday morning.

Henri made landfall early Sunday afternoon in Rhode Island, bringing wind gusts up to 70 mph and storm surge up to 4 feet to surrounding regions.

The system is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by Monday morning as it moves northwest from upstate New York to southern Vermont.

Dangerous storm surge, hurricane conditions and flooding rain will continue in parts of the Northeast

 

Aug 22, 8:46 pm
Henri downgraded to tropical depression


Henri continued to weaken Sunday night and is now downgraded to a tropical depression, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is now located 10 miles southwest of Hartford, Connecticut and has sustained winds of 35 mph.

The National Hurricane Center warned that the storm will continue to produce heavy rainfall and flooding across portions of southern New England and Northern mid-Atlantic states through Monday.

-ABC News' Hope Osemwenkhae
 

Aug 22, 7:35 pm
Power to be restored by mid-week: National Grid


National Grid said it is deploying over 4,000 personnel in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to restore power to affected areas.

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, approximately 72,600 customers in Rhode Island and 8,500 in Massachusetts were without power, according to the utility.

"The hardest hit communities in Rhode Island include South Kingstown, Narragansett, Westerly, Jamestown, Charlestown and North Kingstown," National Grid said in a news release.

The utility said it estimates to have power restored to all affected customers by mid-week.
 

Aug 22, 5:49 pm
Tropical Storm warnings discontinued


Tropical storm warnings for the Northeast states affected by Henri were dropped around 5 p.m Sunday.

However, 40 million Americans across nine states from Delaware to New Hampshire remain under a flash flood watch as the threat for major flash flooding continues through Monday.

Rainfall rates of two inches and hour have been reported in areas experiencing flash flooding, and an additional half a foot of rain is still forecast with highest amounts likely over the Lower Hudson Valley, Northeast New Jersey, New York City, Connecticut and western Massachusetts.

-ABC News' Melissa Griffin

 

Aug 22, 4:55 pm
Biden promises quick response to affected areas


President Joe Biden updated Americans on the federal government's response to Tropical Storm Henri.

Biden reiterated that he has approved the state of emergency orders declared in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York and said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is ready to help affected communities.

He said thousands of live crews from the agency are already on their way.

"They'll clean up fallen trees, help local utilities repair damaged lines and restore service as fast as possible," Biden said at his news conference.

Biden warned that the storm is still causing flooding and reminded affected residents to prepare for more damage throughout the coming days.


Aug 22, 4:54 pm
Nearly 122,000 customers lose power


As of 4:10 p.m., there are at least 121,993 customers without power in five states, according to , a site that aggregates power outage reports.

Rhode Island has the most power outage numbers with 75,868, followed by Connecticut,  29,776, Massachusetts, 9,205, New Jersey, 4,009 and New York, 3,135.


Aug 22, 3:36 pm
Tropical Storm Henri's conditions spread inland


Tropical Storm Henri's impact continues to be felt throughout the East Coast even though its strength has weakened.

The storm is now producing wind gusts up to 50 mph and is moving northwest through Rhode Island.

Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

New flash flood warnings were issued in parts of New York City, Westchester, New York, and northeastern New Jersey counties.

Current rain totals range from 3.7 inches in New London, Connecticut, to 7.82 inches in Brooklyn.

--ABC News’ Hope Osemwenkhae
 

Aug 22, 2:35 pm
Storm weakening, slowing after hitting land


Tropical Storm Henri has already begun to lose strength as it moves inland after making landfall in Rhode Island around 12:15 p.m. Sunday.

The system was 5 miles east of Westerly, Rhode Island, at 2 p.m., moving northwest at 9 mph with sustained winds of 50 mph.

Tropical storm force winds are still expected along the south shore of Long Island, New York, and across southeast Connecticut.

The strongest winds will be along coastal areas of New England and Long Island through Sunday evening.

Gusts of 50 mph or higher are possible as the center of the storm tracks through the Northeast.

The primary threat Sunday will be flash flooding across most of the region.

Since the system is slowing down, the outerbands are continuing to bring heavy rain from New Jersey to Massachusetts.

Nine states remain under a flash flood watch through Monday. Three states – New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, are under flash flood warnings.

An additional 2 to 4 inches of rainfall will be possible the already soaked region, including New York City.

-ABC News’ Hope Osemwenkhae


Aug 22, 2:09 pm
Hundreds of nursing home residents evacuated in Connecticut


Four nursing homes in Connecticut have been evacuated as Tropical Storm Henri moved across the state.

Nearly 250 residents were moved to other facilities, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont told reporters Sunday afternoon.

Lamont warned residents to remain vigilant as the storm passes.
Flooding is "the biggest risk we have right now," said Lamont. "Don't get complacent."

Power outages for more than 24,000 customers have been reported, Lamont said.

-ABC News’ Will McDuffie


Aug 22, 1:30 pm
System expected to weaken to tropical depression


Now that Tropical Storm Henri has hit land, it is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression by Monday morning as it moves through southern Vermont.

Wind gusts of 70 mph were reported in Point Judith, Rhode Island, and 69 mph in Block Island, Rhode Island.

Tropical storm force winds with gusts up to 50 mph will continue over parts of eastern Long Island, New York and New England. Storm surge between 2 and 4 feet will be an ongoing issue for southern Connecticut and eastern Long Island, New York through Sunday.

The current track then has the system moving north-northwest, withering to a weak tropical storm in upstate New York before becoming a depression.

More than 40 million people across the Northeast will be under flash flood watches. Nearly 9 inches of rain from Sunday morning alone were reported in parts of New Jersey.

Additional rainfall amounts up to 3 inches are possible in parts of northern New Jersey, Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and southern New York.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin and Hope Osemwenkhae


Aug 22, 12:50 pm
Landfall


Tropical Storm Henri made landfall along the coast of Rhode Island
near Westerly at approximately 12:15 pm ET Sunday afternoon. At the
time of landfall, maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 60
mph.


Aug 22, 12:00 pm
Nearly 85,000 without power in Northeast


The number of power outages in the Northeast are continuing to rise as Tropical Storm Henri inches closer to land.

About 66,837 customers in Rhode Island, 12,591 customers in Connecticut and 5,389 customers in Massachusetts have reported that they have lost power, according to , a project that tracks outages across the country.

-ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos


Aug 22, 11:22 am
Center of storm passing close to Connecticut


The center of Tropical Storm Henri is currently passing near Block Island, Rhode Island, as it marches toward southern New England.

The system is about 15 miles east of Montauk Point, New York, and about 50 miles south-southwest of Providence, Rhode Island. It is moving north-northwest at 12 mph with 60 mph max sustained winds.

Wind gusts of 69 mph have been reported in Point Judith, Rhode Island, and 65 mph in Block Island, Rhode Island.

The latest track has the storm moving northwest before making landfall near the border of Connecticut and Rhode Island Sunday afternoon.
Tropical storm warnings remain in effect from New York to Massachusetts.

-ABC News’ Samantha Wnek


Aug 22, 11:25 am
Thousands of homes in Rhode Island already without power


More than 8,000 customers had reported power outages in Rhode Island as of 9:30 a.m. Tropical Storm Henri is set to make landfall on the Northeast, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee announced during a press briefing Sunday morning.

McKee warned residents to brace for high winds, loss of power and flooding, urging them, "rather safe than sorry."

"I'm asking you, Rhode Island, to stay home until this storm passes," McKee said.

-ABC News' Will McDuffie


Aug 22, 10:36 am
Outgoing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds press briefing on storm


Disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is set to leave office this week following his resignation, gave a press briefing Sunday morning as Tropical Storm Henri continued to march up the East Coast.

Cuomo emphasized the concern over a 3-to 5-foot storm surge around Long Island and New York City, and announced the approval by President Joe Biden for a pre-landfall emergency declaration.

"Thank you so much to President Biden, who is a good man and a good soul – and I’ve known him for a long time," Cuomo said, adding that Biden "always fundamentally does the right thing."

New York City transit is expected to operate fully until further notice, but some commuter train lines have been suspended, transportation officials said.

New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Horchul is expected to be sworn in as 57th governor of New York State on Tuesday.


Aug 22, 10:08 am
Henri continues its track north


Tropical Storm Henri continued to march up the Northeast coast but has not yet made landfall.

As of 9 a.m. Sunday, the system was 30 miles east-southeast of Montauk Point, New York, and 60 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island, with 65 mph max sustained winds.

Some cities are already reporting heavy wind gusts. Block Island, Rhode Island, saw wind gusts at 63 mph, while Narragansett, Rhode Island, reported winds of 54 mph, and Great Gull Island, New York, reported gusts of 56 mph.

High rain totals include 8.28 inches in Cranbury, New Jersey, 7.96 inches in Jamesburg, New Jersey, and 6.32 inches in Brooklyn, New York.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin and Samantha Wnek


Aug 22, 9:32 am
More than 1,000 flights canceled due to storm conditions.


The majority of the flights were canceled at Newark Liberty International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to FlightAware.

A normal day without any major disruptions usually sees about 125 cancellations, according to FlightAware.

-ABC News' Mina Kaji


Aug 22, 9:13 am
Boston Red Sox game rescheduled due to storm


The matchup between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers has been rescheduled to Monday due to Tropical Storm Henri.

The game was scheduled to take place at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon, the Red Sox announced.

The city is expected to experience damaging winds, power outages, storm surge and flooding rain, Boston Mayor Kim Janey told reporters at a press briefing Sunday morning.

-ABC News’ Octavio Cadenas and Ahmad Hemingway


Aug 22, 8:12 am
System moves closer to Long Island, NY, with 70 mph winds


Henri, which was downgraded to a strong tropical storm Sunday morning, is edging closer to land.

The storm system is 40 miles south-southwest of Montauk, New York, and 75 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island.

Hurricane warnings are in effect from New Jersey to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. All trains from New York to Boston have been canceled.
Record rain has already fallen in New York and New Jersey, with 4.45 inches of rain in Central Park on Saturday, with 1.94 inches of rain falling between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. – the wettest hour on record for New Jersey City.

Rain totals have already topped 8.3 inches in parts of central New Jersey.

Flash flood watches have been issued from Delaware to Vermont.

-ABC News’ Samantha Wnek


Aug 22, 7:09 am
Henri weakens to tropical storm


Henri weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm when it dropped from 75 mph max sustained winds to 70 mph.

However, tropical storm conditions are continuing to spread across parts of southern New England, the National Weather Service reported.


Aug 22, 5:32 am
Outer bands begin to reach New England coast


Henri is currently a category 1 hurricane with 75 mph max sustained winds as outer bands start to reach the southern New England coast and Long Island.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for Long Island, Connecticut and Rhode Island, and tropical storm warnings stretch from New Jersey to Massachusetts.

Flash flood warnings have been ongoing as heavy rain has moved through, with around 4.5 inches of rain falling in Central Park — at a rate of almost 2 inches per hour -- and 6 inches falling in Brooklyn. This is just the beginning of the rain the Northeast will see as Henri moves through.

Flood watches are posted from Delaware to Vermont, and rain totals may reach or exceed 10 inches.

The path is sticking east, and it appears that the center of Henri could stay just off the eastern edge of Long Island, before making landfall early afternoon in Rhode Island at or near hurricane strength.

Once landfall occurs, rapid weakening is expected.

The storm conditions will likely cause numerous power outages, and an isolated tornado is also possible.


Aug 22, 2:26 am
Flooding a major threat for Northeast


Flash flood warnings are already in effect across New York City, Staten Island and northern New Jersey due to moisture funneling into the region from an upper level system to the west of Henri.

Flooding from Henri, which continues to hold onto hurricane status with 75 mph max sustained winds, will be a widespread threat across the Northeast on Sunday.

Henri is moving north at 21 mph and is 135 miles south-southeast of Montauk Point, New York, and 175 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island. Slight strengthening is possible, and Henri is expected to be at or near hurricane strength when it reaches the coasts of southern New England and Long Island.


Aug 21, 11:43 pm
Track shifts east, puts Rhode Island, Massachusetts more at risk


The track of Hurricane Henri appears to be shifting slightly more east on Saturday night.

Landfall now appears possible on far eastern Long Island or southern New England, anywhere from eastern Connecticut to Rhode Island to southeastern Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon. Earlier in the day, it appeared as though the storm might hit central Long Island.

The storm was moving quickly -- 21 mph -- and still maintaining hurricane strength.

Henri is expected to either be a weak hurricane or strong tropical storm on Sunday morning or early afternoon as it moves over or just east of Long Island and eventually into southern New England through the day on Sunday.
 

Aug 21, 7:27 pm
Rail service to be suspended in New York, Connecticut  


Rail service in parts of New York and Connecticut will be halted Sunday due to Henri.

The Long Island Rail Road will be suspending service east of Patchogue on the Montauk Branch and on the Greenport line.

Metro-North, which serves New York and Connecticut, will be suspending service on the Wassaic Branch of the Harlem Line and on the entire New Haven Line, including the New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branches.

In Connecticut, service on the rail lines Shore Line East and Hartford Line is suspended starting Sunday "until further notice."

Amtrak also announced it would be canceling all Northeast Corridor service, including Northeast Regional and Acela, between New York and Boston on Sunday.

Flight cancellations are also expected in the region.

"Port Authority expects flights to be canceled," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a briefing Saturday. "Obviously I would check with your airline before you go to the airport tomorrow into Monday, maybe Tuesday."

Aug 21, 6:34 pm
Big NYC concert still on as mayor calls on attendees to 'go home right after and get ready for tomorrow'


New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defended continuing on with its "We Love NYC Homecoming Concert" Saturday evening, as the city prepares for Hurricane Henri.

"Since the real impact is not expected until well after the concert, we believe absolutely we can do both these things at once," de Blasio said during a press briefing Saturday, as the concert was set to kick off in Central Park with performers including Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith.

The mayor urged concertgoers to go straight home at the end of the night. "If you're going to the concert ... go home right after and get ready for tomorrow," he said.

De Blasio, who declared a state of emergency for NYC earlier on Saturday, said the city is preparing for heavy rain, wind and downed trees.

-ABC News' Matt Foster

Aug 21, 6:10 pm
Biden holds call with Northeast governors


President Joe Biden held a call with the governors of six northeastern states Saturday to discuss Hurricane Henri, the White House said.

The governors are working with Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard to prepare for possible "widespread power outages, coastal storm surge, and inland flooding," the White House said in a statement.

FEMA has pre-positioned over 700 response personnel, meals, tarps and generators in the region.

"On the call, the President made clear that states have the full support of the Federal government to aid local emergency response efforts," the White House said.

Those on the call included New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is in his final days of office after resigning earlier this month following sexual harassment allegations. His successor, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, also joined the call, along with the governors of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

Aug 21, 5:36 pm
Flash flood watches in effect for 7 states

Flash flood watches are in effect for seven states, from Delaware to Vermont, as Hurricane Henri is expected to bring heavy rain to the Northeast.

The flash flooding threat is particularly high across Connecticut, Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley and parts of New Jersey. Some areas could see up to 10 inches of rain.

Storm surge also continues to be a major threat, especially for parts of Long Island and coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, where 3 to 5 feet of surge is possible.

Hurricane warnings remain in effect for Suffolk County, coastal Connecticut and coastal Rhode Island. Wind gusts as high as 74 mph could cause widespread damage in these areas.

Aug 21, 5:15 pm
Connecticut governor: 'We are prepared for what should be a tough storm'

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont warned about the potential flood risk and outages posed by Hurricane Henri, which is expected to bring significant rainfall and winds to western Connecticut.

During a press briefing Saturday, Lamont said the Category 1 storm could be especially severe due to the combination of 8 inches of rain forecast on top of saturated soil, winds and an "astronomical tide."

Winds up to 80 mph also pose a danger to utilities, with "hundreds of thousands of outages over the next few days and beyond" anticipated, Lamont said. EverSource, Connecticut’s largest electric provider servicing approximately 1.25 million customers, is preparing for between 50% and 69% of its customers to lose power. Restoration efforts "could last between eight and 21 days," the company said in a statement.

The state is making sure there is stand-by power available for cooling centers and has worked with utility companies on "a lot of tree trimming" to limit the number of vulnerable trees, Lamont said. The state has also activated 200 National Guard members.

"We are prepared for what should be a tough storm," Lamont said.

Aug 21, 4:08 pm
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says ‘We should avoid a direct hit’

Though it appears that Massachusetts will be spared from the eye of the storm based off Henri’s current trajectory, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said locals should still brace for flooding, tropical storm force winds in the vicinity of 40 mph and the possibility of widespread power outages.

“We should avoid a direct hit,” he said in a press conference Saturday.

“Regardless of wherever you live, even if you don’t normally lose power in a storm, you should be prepared to deal with the possibility that you could lose power in some areas for possibly an extended period of time,” he added.

He said the Buzzards Bay Area could see 3 to 5 foot storm surges and should watch out for minor flooding, along with parts of Cape Cod and parts of the south coast.

Baker said he won’t call for any additional members of the National Guard and resources already called for will center on Western Massachusetts to help with the risk of flooding. On Friday, he activated up to 1,000 National Guardsmen for high-water rescue and public safety support.

“No matter where you are in Massachusetts I think you can go out, but you should be careful,” he said. “This thing may change again in some respects.”

The last hurricane to make landfall in Massachusetts was 30 years ago, Baker said.

Aug 21, 2:37 pm
Over 55 million people across 5 states under hurricane and tropical storm warnings 

Over 55 million people across the New England region are under hurricane and tropical storm warnings as hurricane Henri barrels closer.

Hurricane warnings are currently in place for New Haven, Connecticut; Newport, Rhode Island; and in Riverhead and Montauk, New York.

Tropical Storm warnings stretch from Belmar, New Jersey, to Hartford, Connecticut, through Chatham and Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Aug 21, 10:58 am
Henri strengthens into hurricane

Henri intensified into a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph Saturday morning around 10:45 a.m. as it continued on its track northeast.

Aug 21, 10:51 am
Connecticut declares state of emergency ahead of Henri

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont declared a statement of emergency on Friday due to the incoming storm, “to take any actions necessary to respond and protect the people of the state.”

He also requested 200 National Guard members pulled for active duty starting Saturday morning.

The storm is forecast to bring heavy rainfall, whipping winds, storm surge along the shoreline and potential flooding to the state.

“Right now, it’s a good idea for everyone to be prepared and expect to shelter in place by Sunday afternoon through at least Monday morning,” Lamont said.

A hurricane warning is in effect for New Haven, Middlesex and New London counties. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Fairfield County.

 

Saturday, August 21, 2021 at 10:41AM by Samantha Wnek and Marlene Lenthang Permalink