Tropical Storm Henri makes landfall in Rhode Island

Tropical storm

Tropical Storm Henri made landfall along the coast of Rhode Island about 12.15pm (1615 GMT) yesterday, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said, with the maximum sustained winds estimated to be 60mph (95kph). The National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted that Henri, earlier downgraded from a Category 1 Hurricane, struck land near the town of Westerly. Henri weakened as it neared the US Northeast coast in the morning, but not before a drenching rainstorm submerged a star-studded concert meant to mark New York City’s emergence from the worst of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. A light rain that turned into a downpour on Saturday night sent thousands of music fans at the free “Homecoming Concert” in Manhattan’s Central Park streaming for the exits in the middle of a performance by Barry Manilow, who continued to sing for a while even after his audio was cut off. Performers who did not get to go on because of the concert’s abrupt ending included Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. Thousands of concertgoers, some still lining up to get in as the show was emptying out, had navigated through an airport-style security checkpoint where they also had to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus to gain entrance. “I guess for safety it makes sense. I mean I can hear the thunder,” said attendee Maria Fuentes. The concert had been promoted for weeks by Mayor Bill de Blasio to show the city’s resilience against the pandemic. Its unplanned early ending as Henri, then still a low-level hurricane, churned up the Eastern Seaboard, left CNN, which was broadcasting it live, with air time to fill, which it did in part by having Manilow call into the network and sing. By 11am EDT (1500 GMT) yesterday, Henri had been downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of about 60mph (95kph) with its centre 15 miles (25km) off Montauk, New York, on the eastern tip of Long Island, the NHC said. The storm’s rain bands stretched from eastern Pennsylvania to southern New Hampshire, covering northern New Jersey, the New York metropolitan area, and southern New England. While the NHC lifted storm surge alerts for western Long Island and parts of Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, warnings were still in effect for most of Long Island and southern New England with predicted coastal surge ranging from 2-4’ (0.6-1.2m) in many places. The NHC’s tropical storm warning covered more than 42mn people. The last hurricane to make landfall onto New England was Hurricane Bob in 1991, killing at least 17 people. “The last time we had hurricane watches issued for the area was for Hurricane Irene, back in late August of 2011,” tweeted the NWS in New York City. The last hurricane to make landfall in Long Island was Gloria in 1985. The warnings have reignited memories of Hurricane Sandy, a more powerful storm that knocked out power for much of Manhattan and flooded subways in 2012. The US PGA Tour postponed the final round of the Northern Trust tournament in suburban New York to today. As Henri’s winds weakened, most of the concern shifted to the potential for flooding, with the NHC predicting rainfall amounts of 3-6”s (7.5-15cm) in much of the affected region as the storm’s movement was expected to slow over land. “Heavy rainfall from Henri may result in considerable flash, urban, and small stream flooding, along with the potential for widespread minor to isolated moderate river flooding,” the NHC said. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was particularly worried about flooding in the Catskill Mountains north of New York City. “We already have saturated ground, so the absorption capacity of the ground is limited, and that’s what makes this level of rainfall especially problematic,” he said at a briefing. “There’s still a lot to worry about. We’re not out of harm’s way.” Yesterday President Joe Biden authorised the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to co-ordinate disaster relief efforts in New York if they are needed. As the surface layer of oceans warms due to climate change, cyclones are becoming more powerful and carry more water, posing an increasing threat to the world’s coastal communities, scientists say. Storm surges amplified by rising seas can be especially devastating and forecasters warned Henri could bring surges of up to 5’ in coastal areas.