Hurricane Henri closes in on New England

Rainfall in the summer of 2020 in Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson File Photo)

Now a category-1 storm, Hurricane Henri is on track to make landfall in Long Island or southern New England late Sunday. 

However, coastal flooding from storm surge may begin as early as tonight and intensify throughout Sunday. The storm surge along the coast is forecasted at three to five feet from Long Island to Cape Cod, leading to multiple storm surge watches and warnings along the northeastern coast, The Weather Channel reported. Officials also warn of inland flooding in the Northeast, due to forecasted rain of 3-6 inches from Sunday into Monday. 

In Massachusetts, flood barriers have been put up in Boston, and the National Guard has been activated. Parts of New York are under a state of emergency. Throughout the coastal regions, people have been urged to delay all non-essential travel, especially Sunday.  

This news comes after the Northeast has experienced significant rain in recent weeks, including some stray showers and thunderstorms in parts of northern New England on Saturday.

In Vermont, emergency management officials are zeroing in on southern Vermont, where Henri could have the most impact for the state, including up to six inches of rain. In Bennington and Windham counties, flooding just a few weeks ago damaged roads, bridges and culverts. 

“We hope for the best but we have to prepare for the worst-case scenarios,” Chip Deasy of Vermont Emergency Management told NBC5. The storm system could also bring wind gusts of up to 50 mph. 

Officials whose areas are in the storm’s path have urged people to be prepared, including making sure they have flashlights, batteries, canned food, water, and other essentials in case they lose electric service or are stranded at home for an extended period. The greatest impact in Vermont is likely to be “heavy rain Sunday into Monday in central to southern areas of the state,” according to a statement by emergency management officials on Saturday.

Check out hurricanes.gov for the latest updates.

— Gareth Henderson