MIAMI and BOSTON — On the 30th anniversary of the last hurricane to make a direct hit on New England, the region warily braced Thursday, August 19, for Tropical Storm Henri as it gathered strength and headed for the northeastern U.S. On Friday morning, forecasters issued a hurricane watch as Henri continued its projected track toward the southern New England coast.
Henri was expected to intensify into a hurricane by Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. Impacts could be felt in New England states by Sunday. The system was centered in the Atlantic Ocean about 370 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and about 780 miles south-southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph.
The hurricane watch stretched across the South Shore of Long Island from Fire Island Inlet to Montauk, and the North Shore from Port Jefferson Harbor to Montauk. It also covered the coast from New Haven, Connecticut, to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts; and Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Block Island.
The main threats were expected to be storm surge, wind and rain, forecasters said. Storm surge between 3 and 5 feet was possible from Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Sagamore Beach.
Rainfall between 2 to 5 inches was expected Sunday through Monday over the region.
Henri was heading west early Friday, but forecasters expect it to make a turn toward the north and approach the New England coast.
Exactly 30 years ago Thursday, in 1991, Bob made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 90 miles per hour and wind gusts up to 138 mph. At least 17 people were killed in the storm, the costliest in New England with more than $1.5 billion in property damage — nearly $3 billion in today’s dollars.
The National Weather Service warned of the potential for damaging winds and widespread coastal flooding from Henri. Authorities urged people to secure their boats, fuel up their vehicles and stock up on canned goods in case the storm makes a direct hit.
New Englanders had to begin thinking about Henri even as the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred lashed the region, unleashing drenching rains that stranded drivers as floodwaters swamped their vehicles.
In Worcester, Massachusetts, the region’s second-largest city, a woman and her two young children had to be carried out of their stalled car by a Good Samaritan after waters rose to the vehicle’s windows.
The National Weather Service warned of the potential for damaging winds and widespread coastal flooding from Henri. Authorities urged people to secure their boats, fuel up their vehicles and stock up on canned goods in case the storm makes a direct hit.
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