Clouds pass over middle Manhattan and the Empire State Building as Tropical Storm Henri passes through New York City, as seen from Weehawken's Hamilton Park in New Jersey, U.S., August 18, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Tropical Storm Henri, which for days has been swirling near Bermuda in the Atlantic, is threatening to turn north and clip Long Island, Cape Cod and Boston next week.
Henri, with top winds of 70 miles (113 kilometers) per hour, was about 810 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, according to an 11 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is currently moving west, but it is forecast to shift to the north as larger weather patterns on either side begin to influence its track.
"Henri is forecast to be near the northeast cost of the U.S. on Sunday and Monday, and the risks of storm surge, wind, and rain impacts in portions of southern New England and eastern Long Island are increasing,” John Cangialosi, a senior hurricane specialist at the center, wrote in his forecast. "Watches will likely be required for portions of this area Friday.”
On Wednesday, New York fell within the forecast cone for Henri, but overnight that has shifted. Tropical systems don’t move under there own power and require larger weather patterns to push and pull them, so Henri’s track is dependent on where a low pressure trough sets up to its west.
Henri could become a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale Saturday, however it is forecast to weaken before closing in on New England. So far, eight storms have formed in the Atlantic in 2021, four of which hit the U.S., which usually doesn’t happen until the end of September.
In addition to Henri, forecasters are also watching Hurricane Grace, which made landfall in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula earlier Thursday.
