Henri to reach hurricane force, make close approach to East Coast
By
Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Aug 19, 2021 8:44 AM EST
Tropical Storm Henri, after forming Monday afternoon south and east of Bermuda, has been circling the island nation menacingly this week. AccuWeather forecasters warned Wednesday that a shift in its strength, the storm is now expected to reach hurricane force, and its track will bring it close to the East Coast of the United States -- perhaps close enough to brush the coast or even make landfall.
Henri (pronounced: ahn-REE) was packing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and was located about 525 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. Henri was swirling about 810 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
"Henri will continue to make a clockwise circle around Bermuda through the end of this week but also gradually pull farther away as it does so," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said.
Henri will finally break out of its loop this weekend, and it will take a more northerly or northeasterly track, AccuWeather forecasters say. The storm may also further strengthen as it moves closer to the East Coast.
As Henri churns off the coast, the primary risks will be rough surf and dangerous rip currents at the beaches up and down the Eastern Seaboard through the rest of this week and this weekend. Through Saturday, Henri will spin well offshore, but by later this weekend and early next week, Henri could set its sights closer to the coast.
The AccuWeather Eye Path® was updated on Wednesday afternoon and showed the outer edge of the forecast cone swiping the Jersey Shore and much of Long Island and eastern New England were within the possible cone of movement.
The final weekends of August are big with vacationers who visit places like North Carolina's Outer Banks, the Jersey Shore, Montauk, New York, and Nantucket and Cape Cod in New England.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Water temperatures are inviting in all of those places. As of Wednesday, the ocean temperatures off of the Outer Banks were 84.7 degrees F. The water at beaches in Atlantic City was 78.4 F, and 72.5 F in the waters off Montauk and 75.6 F near Nantucket.
As pleasant as the water temperatures might be, beachgoers will be wise to remain cautious through the weekend and into early next week given the risks of heavy surf and rip currents from Henri even if it remains offshore.
According to data from NOAA, more people have died as a result of rip currents on a yearly basis over the last decade than from lightning strikes or due to impacts from extreme cold combined.
Henri would be the third hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) to develop this season if it reaches that intensity later this week or this weekend. Grace strengthened into the second hurricane on Wednesday morning, and earlier this season, Elsa had reached hurricane force twice along its path.
"If high pressure over the Atlantic becomes stronger, it could push Henri on a more due north track this weekend. This scenario would cause Henri to track much closer to the New England coast during Sunday night and Monday and perhaps even to make landfall in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland," explained AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.
A landfall or brush along the East Coast cannot be ruled out at this time, AccuWeather forecasters say.
In this scenario, some of the worst weather conditions could be along the coast of New Jersey, Long Island or southern New England.
"All residents and interests along the New England coast and Atlantic Canada should closely monitor the progress of Henri later this week."
People that are planning a weekend trip to a destination to this portion of the Northeast should continue to check the AccuWeather forecast so that they can plan accordingly.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Hurricane
Henri to reach hurricane force, make close approach to East Coast
By Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Aug 19, 2021 8:44 AM EST
Tropical Storm Henri, after forming Monday afternoon south and east of Bermuda, has been circling the island nation menacingly this week. AccuWeather forecasters warned Wednesday that a shift in its strength, the storm is now expected to reach hurricane force, and its track will bring it close to the East Coast of the United States -- perhaps close enough to brush the coast or even make landfall.
Henri (pronounced: ahn-REE) was packing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and was located about 525 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. Henri was swirling about 810 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
"Henri will continue to make a clockwise circle around Bermuda through the end of this week but also gradually pull farther away as it does so," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said.
Henri will finally break out of its loop this weekend, and it will take a more northerly or northeasterly track, AccuWeather forecasters say. The storm may also further strengthen as it moves closer to the East Coast.
As Henri churns off the coast, the primary risks will be rough surf and dangerous rip currents at the beaches up and down the Eastern Seaboard through the rest of this week and this weekend. Through Saturday, Henri will spin well offshore, but by later this weekend and early next week, Henri could set its sights closer to the coast.
The AccuWeather Eye Path® was updated on Wednesday afternoon and showed the outer edge of the forecast cone swiping the Jersey Shore and much of Long Island and eastern New England were within the possible cone of movement.
The final weekends of August are big with vacationers who visit places like North Carolina's Outer Banks, the Jersey Shore, Montauk, New York, and Nantucket and Cape Cod in New England.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Water temperatures are inviting in all of those places. As of Wednesday, the ocean temperatures off of the Outer Banks were 84.7 degrees F. The water at beaches in Atlantic City was 78.4 F, and 72.5 F in the waters off Montauk and 75.6 F near Nantucket.
As pleasant as the water temperatures might be, beachgoers will be wise to remain cautious through the weekend and into early next week given the risks of heavy surf and rip currents from Henri even if it remains offshore.
According to data from NOAA, more people have died as a result of rip currents on a yearly basis over the last decade than from lightning strikes or due to impacts from extreme cold combined.
Henri would be the third hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) to develop this season if it reaches that intensity later this week or this weekend. Grace strengthened into the second hurricane on Wednesday morning, and earlier this season, Elsa had reached hurricane force twice along its path.
"If high pressure over the Atlantic becomes stronger, it could push Henri on a more due north track this weekend. This scenario would cause Henri to track much closer to the New England coast during Sunday night and Monday and perhaps even to make landfall in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland," explained AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.
A landfall or brush along the East Coast cannot be ruled out at this time, AccuWeather forecasters say.
In this scenario, some of the worst weather conditions could be along the coast of New Jersey, Long Island or southern New England.
"All residents and interests along the New England coast and Atlantic Canada should closely monitor the progress of Henri later this week."
People that are planning a weekend trip to a destination to this portion of the Northeast should continue to check the AccuWeather forecast so that they can plan accordingly.
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Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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