Heat, humidity surging across the Northeast in Henri's wake

In the wake of Henri's deluge across the Northeast, building heat and humidity this week can put a strain on cleanup crews and those left without power. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are forecast to approach the century mark in some of the worst-hit areas, forecasters say.

Henri made landfall in Westerly, Rhode Island, as a 60-mph tropical storm at 12:15 p.m. EDT Sunday. The storm was a Category 1 hurricane just six hours prior to moving onshore. Over 115,000 customers were without power in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts at the peak of the storm's fury.

One of Henri's biggest impacts was its flooding rainfall. Rainfall totals surpassed half a foot in portions of northeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and southern New York as Henri swirled as a tropical rainstorm over the region on Monday. In New York City's Central Park, rainfall had eclipsed 8 inches. Locally higher rainfall amounts occurred in the New York City area and in parts of central New Jersey.

The National Weather Service office in Boston, Massachusetts, confirmed at least three EF-0 tornadoes associated with Henri Monday morning.

"The great news for clean up is that Wednesday looks to be largely dry for the region as high pressure re-establishes itself over the Northeast," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said.

The dry conditions will be a welcome break from rounds of heavy rainfall that have plagued the region for much of the summer, with Henri being the latest soaking rain event.

Swollen rivers and streams will gradually recede and debris cleanup and power restoration efforts can go on without disruptions from the weather.

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However, AccuWeather meteorologists say one aspect of the weather could complicate recovery efforts.

"Temperatures will rebound through midweek with what will be a very warm and humid stretch of weather that will likely stick around through the end of the week," Benz said.

High temperatures in the hardest-hit zones will climb into the upper 80s to lower 90s F, but it will be the humidity that really makes things feel worse for those outside. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the 95- to 100-degree Fahrenheit range will be common during the peak heating time of the afternoon.

Those still without power during the hot and sticky pattern should seek out means to cool down whenever possible, such as heading to an air-conditioned public building or taking a dip in a local lake or pool. Anyone cleaning up debris or doing any other type of manual labor outdoors is encouraged to drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks in the shade and wear light-colored clothing to lessen the risk of heat-related illnesses.

Those seeking relief at area beaches could face another issue.

"There may be water quality issues for a few days along the Northeast beaches, especially from New Jersey to New York and Connecticut and Rhode Island due to contaminated water runoff into the bays and coastal waters," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

People are urged to observe any local restrictions on area beaches set forth by officials.

Later in the week, as cooler air sags southward, the risk for rain will return to the impacted areas in the form of scattered showers and thunderstorms, though widespread heavy rainfall is not anticipated.

In the short-term, forecasters say that there are no new tropical systems that could impact the Northeast.

AccuWeather's long-range team is monitoring the Caribbean, however, where they say a tropical system may form later this week and impact some of the same areas that Grace ravaged in Mexico.

A currently non-tropical storm is forecast to push westward from south of Bermuda to reach the southern Atlantic coast later this week with an uptick in drenching showers and thunderstorms for the Southeastern states.

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