More than 120,000 Northeast residents have been left without power due to heavy rains, storm surges and the dangerous winds of Tropical Storm Henri. The storm has weakened rapidly as it moves northwest from Rhode Island, but the National Hurricane Center warns of heavy rains and flooding that will continue into Monday.
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As it crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Henri became a hurricane. However, it was downgraded on Sunday morning to reach New England. At 12:15 p.m., it made landfall near Westerly in Rhode Island with maximum sustained winds 60 mph (96.5 km/h). The agency stated that ET was observed on Sunday. Some coastal areas in the state saw gusts up to 70 mph (12.6 kph).
According to the New York Times, three out of four homes in Rhode Island's coastal Washington County had lost power before the storm hit. This is a region that houses 125,000 people. The Weather Channel reports that parts of New Jersey were hit by up to 9 inches (22.8 cm) of rain, causing widespread flooding 100 miles (160.9 km), from the storm's center. According to the National Weather Services New York City branch, New York City received 4.45 inches (11.3cm) of rain before the storms arrived on Saturday. This set a daily maximum rainfall record of Aug. 21.
According to the Times, rains caused bridges to be closed, railroad service in Long Island and southern New England was disrupted, and hundreds of flights were canceled at New York City's airports. The NHS reported that eastern Long Island was experiencing winds of 29 mph (47 km/h) and gusts up to 42 mph (62.5 km/h) as of Sunday evening.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden gave a national address stating that he had approved emergency declarations for Rhode Island and Connecticut. This allows these states to be eligible for federal recovery aid. According to the NHS, the storm is expected to move slowly northwestward and stall near New York's border around Sunday evening. It will then move across northern Connecticut or southern Massachusetts by Monday morning.
