Henri to leave Northeast Monday night, flood watches remain in effect
Flood watches are in effect from northeastern Pennsylvania to New Hampshire.
Henri continues to churn across the Northeast where heavy rain and flooding are still possible through Monday night.
Flood watches remain in effect from northeastern Pennsylvania to New Hampshire.
The storm made landfall as a tropical storm in Rhode Island early Sunday afternoon, bringing wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and a storm surge of up to 4 feet to the surrounding regions. Over 9 inches of rain was recorded in Brooklyn, New York. Henri weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday night and will leave the Northeast by Monday night.
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Connecticut declares state of emergency ahead of Henri
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont declared a statement of emergency on Friday due to the incoming storm, “to take any actions necessary to respond and protect the people of the state.”
He also requested 200 National Guard members pulled for active duty starting Saturday morning.
The storm is forecast to bring heavy rainfall, whipping winds, storm surge along the shoreline and potential flooding to the state.
“Right now, it’s a good idea for everyone to be prepared and expect to shelter in place by Sunday afternoon through at least Monday morning,” Lamont said.
A hurricane warning is in effect for New Haven, Middlesex and New London counties. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Fairfield County.
Connecticut governor: 'We are prepared for what should be a tough storm'
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont warned about the potential flood risk and outages posed by Hurricane Henri, which is expected to bring significant rainfall and winds to western Connecticut.
During a press briefing Saturday, Lamont said the Category 1 storm could be especially severe due to the combination of 8 inches of rain forecast on top of saturated soil, winds and an "astronomical tide."
Winds up to 80 mph also pose a danger to utilities, with "hundreds of thousands of outages over the next few days and beyond" anticipated, Lamont said. EverSource, Connecticut’s largest electric provider servicing approximately 1.25 million customers, is preparing for between 50% and 69% of its customers to lose power. Restoration efforts "could last between eight and 21 days," the company said in a statement.
The state is making sure there is stand-by power available for cooling centers and has worked with utility companies on "a lot of tree trimming" to limit the number of vulnerable trees, Lamont said. The state has also activated 200 National Guard members.
"We are prepared for what should be a tough storm," Lamont said.