Ns News Online Desk: Henri was about 525 miles south of Montauk Point early Saturday and heading straight for Long Island. The center of the storm is expected to pass over eastern Suffolk County, but its strong winds, heavy rain and potentially damaging storm surge to entire region.
With maximum sustained winds at 70 mph – 5 mph short of hurricane status — Henri was still a tropical storm Saturday morning, but it is expected to gain strength as it moves north at about 12 mph. A hurricane warning is in effect for most of Suffolk County.
New Yorkers can expect to start feeling Henri’s winds late Saturday night. While the center of the storm is expected to make landfall in Long Island, there’s an 70-80 percent chance gusts up to 70 mph will blow through the five boroughs, National Hurricane Center forecasts show.
That could lead to widespread power outages. Con Edison said it is bringing in 1,500 extra workers from other regions to help restore power. Experts have warned power outages in some areas could last for days.
Woman with umbrella The National Hurricane Center said early Saturday that the water could rise by 3-to-5 feet in the Long Island Sound, including Flushing and the waterfront Bronx, and on the ocean side of Suffolk from Mastic Beach east to Montauk.
The Rockaways, Southern Brooklyn and Staten Island could see a 2-to-4-foot storm surge. The city said all beaches are closed on Sunday and Monday. Henri is expected to dump as much as 10 inches of rain on the central parts of Long Island, and as much as 6 inches on parts of the city and Northern New Jersey. That could lead to flash floods in much of the region.
Storm surge is also a big concern not only for Long Island, but for parts of the city, New Jersey and Southern Connecticut, particularly since Henri is arriving the same day as a full moon.
