Henri develops into hurricane as it barrels toward Northeast

Tropical Storm Henri has developed into a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning, with the storm expected to make landfall in the Northeast U.S. as soon as Saturday night.

Henri had sustained winds of up to 75 miles per hour as of Saturday morning, strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane. The National Hurricane Center said Henri would be making its way toward southern New England and Long Island.

The center noted that areas of the Northeast were expected to see hurricane conditions, a storm surge and flooding rainfall either Saturday night or early Sunday.

Hurricane #Henri Advisory 23: Henri is Now a Hurricane. A Dangerous Storm Surge, Hurricane Conditions, and Flooding Rainfall Expected in Portions of the Northeast United States Beginning Late Tonight Or Early Sunday. https://t.co/VqHn0u1vgc

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 21, 2021

“Hurricane conditions are expected to begin late tonight or Sunday in portions of Long Island, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, where a Hurricane Warning is in effect. Tropical storm conditions will begin in these areas tonight,” an 11 a.m. hurricane center advisory said.

Meteorologists had predicted that the storm would turn into a hurricane on Saturday and would make landfall later this weekend.

A storm surge warning had also been issued for Connecticut, Rhode Island, parts of Long Island and southeastern Massachusetts, where the hurricane center said that storm surge inundations were expected either Saturday night or Sunday.

According to an active tropical cyclone map, Henri was still in the Atlantic Ocean and nearly parallel to North Carolina on Saturday morning.

It would be the first hurricane to hit New England in several decades, NBC News reported. Hurricane Bob was the last hurricane to hit areas of New England in 1991. Hurricane Gloria was the last one to make landfall on Long Island in 1985.

Anticipating the coming storm, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) declared a state of emergency on Friday in an effort to receive more federal assistance before the hurricane hit the state.

“With the current forecasted track of Henri, we can expect heavy rainfall and high winds, with the potential for a significant amount of coastal flooding and urban flooding across Connecticut,” Lamont said in a statement.

He advised residents to stay indoors between at least Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.

“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. We’ll continue to monitor the storm’s progress and will provide updates as necessary.”

In New York City, officials also announced that their beaches would be closed for swimming given Henri’s trajectory.