NASA and satellites are monitoring the historic storm from space as parts of the U.S. Northeast prepare for Hurricane Henri's arrival in New York City today, August 22.
According to the National Hurricane Center's morning update, Henri, which has reached category 1 hurricane status, will make landfall today on Long Island, New York. It is expected to drop torrential rains on Connecticut and Rhode Island. Henri was spotted by astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Saturday.
Megan McArthur, a NASA astronaut, wrote "We just flew above the East Coast and saw hurricane Henri," while sharing a tweet from Megan McArthur that included a photo taken from space of the storm. Stay safe, friends.
Similar: Amazing Hurricane Photos from Space
Hurricane Henri is seen churning in the Atlantic Ocean near Long Island, New York. This photo was taken by Megan McArthur, a NASA astronaut, on Saturday, August 21, 2021 from the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA/Megan McArthur)
The Goes East weather satellite followed Henri's path to the U.S. East Coast in the past few days as well as Hurricane Grace which made landfall on Thursday in Mexico, on the eastern Yucatan peninsula. One satellite video shows the two storms moving across the Atlantic, while Henri was still tropical storm.
NASA's Terra satellite detected Henri as it built strength as a tropical hurricane on Friday, August 20.
Kathryn Hansen, NASA's chief scientist, wrote that Henri was approximately 400 miles (640 km) southeast of Charleston, South Carolina at the time of the photo. She was heading toward the northwest. She added that Henri was only a few miles from hurricane category 1 status at that time.
Hurricane Henri was the first hurricane to hit the New England region in almost 30 years. According to the New York Times, Hurricane Bob was the last hurricane to strike New England in 1991. Hurricane Gloria struck Long Island in 1986.
Photos: The Solar System's Most Powerful Storms
#Henri Hurricane today via #GOESEast RGB. A stunning storm from space. https://t.co/sXrigRGc8l pic.twitter.com/EJemZUUqPiAugust 22, 2021 See more
This view of Henri was captured by the Goes East satellite's weather satellite on Aug. 20, 2021. On Aug. 21, 2021, the storm became a category 1 hurricane. (Image credit to NOAA/Goes East).
According to the National Hurricane Center, Henri was at 40 miles (65 km) south-southeast from Montauk Point in New York. Maximum sustained winds were 70 mph (110 KPH) as of Sunday morning (1200 GMT).
Long Island and the southern coasts of New England are under hurricane warnings. Storm surge and flooding warnings are also in effect. The outer bands of Henri are expected to impact a large area of northeastern U.S.A. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the region that includes New York City.
Tariq Malik can be reached at tmalik@space.com, or on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom on Facebook and Instagram.
