Hurricane Watch issued for South Coast, Cape Cod & Islands

BOSTON — It’s exactly 30 years since a hurricane last made a direct hit on New England — and now the region is bracing for the possibility of another. New Englanders were warily watching on Thursday as Tropical Storm Henri gathered strength in the Atlantic and headed for the northeastern U.S.

Forecasters issued a hurricane watch Friday morning for Tropical Storm Henri ahead of its projected track toward the southern New England coast. In an advisory, Henri was expected to intensify into a hurricane by Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Impacts could be felt in New England states by Sunday.

The system was centered in the Atlantic Ocean about 370 miles (600 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and about 780 miles (1,255 kilometers) south-southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph).

The hurricane watch stretched across the South Shore of Long Island from Fire Island Inlet to Montauk, and the North Shore from Port Jefferson Harbor to Montauk. It also covered the coast from New Haven, Connecticut, to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts; and Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Block Island.

PREVIOUS: Preparations underway on Cape Cod in anticipation of Henri

The main threats were expected to be storm surge, wind, and rain, forecasters said. Storm surge between 3 and 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) was possible from Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Sagamore Beach.

Rainfall between 2 to 5 inches (5 to 12 centimeters) was expected Sunday through Monday over the region. Henri was heading west early Friday but forecasters expect it to make a turn toward the north and approach the New England coast.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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