Ghiorse Hurricane Henri Update: Looking Like RI’s First Direct Hit in 30 Years
Friday, August 20, 2021
GoLocal meteorologist John Ghiorse says Tropical Storm Henri is expected to be Rhode Island's "first direct hit" in over thirty years, since Hurricane Bob.
The National Weather Service on Friday provided a map of where Henri is expected to hit on Sunday -- the red zone is where winds could reach 74 to 100 miles per hour; the orange, 54 to 73 miles per hour.
NWS has issued a hurricane watch for most of southern Rhode Island.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTGhiorse Friday Afternoon Update:
Henri has made that turn north that I talked about yesterday. It is also intensifying. Both are not good for Southern New England.
Most of the sophisticated model data are now tracking the storm for a landfall somewhere between Narragansett Bay and New York City. I know that is a rather large area but Henri is still 800 miles to our south and a minuscule deviation in its track could make a large difference in its position once it reaches our latitude.
Indications are that the storm will be a Category 1 Hurricane when it reaches our shores. There is some hope that slower movement over chillier ocean waters north of the Gulf Stream could cut into that strength some, but we should not count on that.
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It looks like wind and rain will begin to increase later tomorrow and tomorrow night with tropical storm (up to 73mph) or hurricane (74mph or higher) winds as the center or eye approaches and arrives on Sunday.
The exact timing on this will be adjusted as the storm moves closer. Heavy rain bands will also move across the area. There is still time, but now is the time to begin to put your storm plans into action. Better safe than sorry.
As with all these storms, there could be some major positive changes in the forecast track and intensity. I never rule that out but for now it looks like our first direct hit in just over 30 years (Hurricane Bob).
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