Hurricane Henri's outer bands reach US north-east coast
Hurricane Henri's outer bands moved onshore in southern New England and Long Island early on Sunday (Aug 22) as the storm threatened the region with high winds, a dangerous storm surge and drenching rainfall.By 5am (5pm, Singapore time), Henri was located about 125km south-southeast of Montauk Point on Long Island in New York state, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
It was carrying top sustained winds of 120 kmh and heading north. Henri was expected to make landfall on Long Island or southern New England later on Sunday, hitting land at or near hurricane strength, the centre said. More than 42 million people in the region were under a hurricane or tropical storm warning on Saturday, the NHC said.
The centre warned that Henri could produce storm surges - when ocean waters are pushed above their normal level - of 1m to 1.5m) in some areas, as well as bringing rainfall of 7.5cm to 15cm.= Parts of Long Island and New Haven, Connecticut, were under hurricane and storm surge warnings.
Other parts of New England, such as Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, were under surge and tropical storm watches and warnings.New York City, the largest city in the United States, was under a tropical storm warning. In a Twitter post on Saturday, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to stay home on Sunday and to use public transport if they need to travel.
Emergency management officials said heavy rainfall and damaging winds could flood roadways and reduce visibility throughout the weekend."Secure outdoor objects and make sure you are in a safe location before the onset of wind and rain!," New York City Emergency Management Commissioner John Scrivani wrote in a tweet on Saturday.
