Tropical Storm Henri Update: Rain, Wind Begins In New Hampshire

GRAY, ME — Henri, a hurricane for a short period of time, has been downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall on Sunday in southern New England.

The storm's swath hit parts of Long Island, Connecticut, and Rhode Island bringing wind gusts of up to 76 mph tracked on Block Island after the storm hit Sunday morning. Tens of thousands are without power in Rhode Island with forecasters warning that millions of New Englanders could lose power for days.

Forecasters expect the storm to diminish as it moves northwest and then shifts east. Henri is expected to bring up to 4 inches of rain, possibly more, to most of New Hampshire by the time the storm leaves the region on Monday.

Anywhere from 1- to 6-foot storm surges are expected on the Seacoast.

Forecasters are predicting moderate damage, flooding, and other issues in New Hampshire as the storm moves through the state. Flooding alerts have been issued for Hillsborough and Merrimack counties.

New Hampshire Patch will be updating this post through Monday.

The brunt of the storm is expected to reach the Granite State around 2 p.m. on Sunday and leave around 8 a.m. on Monday.

Hurricane Henri could bring strong winds that have the potential to cause serious damage to structures and trees. Avoid a situation where debris can harm you. Learn more at https://t.co/Rth9vtvbxp #ReadyNH #BePrepared #BeSafe #NHwx #TSHenri #TropicalStormHenri #Henri pic.twitter.com/qW83YkYZiV
— NH Homeland Security and Emergency Management (@NH_HSEM) August 22, 2021

“Heavy showers, gusty winds, and an isolated tornado are possible,” the National Weather Service said around 10 a.m. on Sunday.

People struggle against the wind as they try to get close to #Henri in Narragansett, RI. #wcvb pic.twitter.com/iPxVkGRJ2Y
— David Bienick (@BienickWCVB) August 22, 2021

ALSO READ:

• Hurricane Henri Update: Storm Expected To Start On Sunday
• Hurricane Henri Update: Officials Say NH Will Be Impacted
• Henri Update: MA Residents May See 'Prolonged' Power Outages
• Tropical Storm Henri: Rhode Island Braces For Direct Hit

“The remnants of Henri will remain over the region as long as early Tuesday,” the NWS said. “Locally heavy showers or thunderstorms are possible with gusty winds in some of the showers.”

At noon on Sunday, the State Emergency Operations Center was activated at Partial Level to monitor the storm.

New Hampshire’s four major electric utilities reported minor and scattered outages, about 300, across the state. Unitil and Liberty Utilities reported bringing in line workers and others into New Hampshire to prepare for the aftermath of the storm. Eversource told its customers to expect the heaviest rain through 7 p.m. on Sunday with sustained and strong wind gusts until around 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Accuweather.com noted that Henri was a “rare” New England storm. Hurricane Bob, a Category 2 storm, was the last hurricane to hit New England in 1991. Hurricane Gloria, a Category 3 storm, had diminished in strength as it crossed New England in September 1985. Hurricane Belle was about the strength of Henri when it hit Long Island and Connecticut in August 1976.

The latest weather conditions can be found on the front page of every Patch.com site in the United States including the 12 New Hampshire Patch news and community websites. Local weather reports for New Hampshire are posted on Sundays and Thursdays. Alerts are published when needed.

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