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By THE ASSOCIATE PRESS
CHARLESTOWN, RI (AP) – The latest developments on Tropical Storm Henri and its impacts on the northeast:
2:30 p.m.
Cities in New Jersey reported heavy rains and flooding on the streets starting Saturday night. Some places reached up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) on Sunday at noon.
TV footage showed areas where flash floods or overflowing streams had left many cars stranded, some with water up to the windows.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy told News 12NJ the storm in the state has so far been a rainy event but “a significant rain event.” He said the state had been spared from very windy conditions, although the winds may pick up later. “It’s a good day to stay home,†he said, urging people to stay off the roads.
Marshall Shepherd, director of the atmospheric science program at the University of Georgia and former president of the American Meteorological Society, said Henry was in some ways reminiscent of Hurricane Harvey, a slow storm that decimated the Houston area in 2017, exacerbated when bands of rain settled in the east of the city, a meteorological phenomenon called “formation”.
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1:30 p.m.
Rhode Island has reopened the state’s main bridges to traffic, but restrictions remain in place for some vehicles.
All roads leading to the seaside community of Misquamicut remain closed due to wind-driven flooding. Misquamicut is a small group of beach hotels and vacation cabins and was heavily damaged by the storm surge during Super Storm Sandy.
The Boston office of the National Weather Service reported about 75,000 customers without power in Rhode Island, about 20,000 customers in Connecticut, and nearly 6,900 customers in Massachusetts.
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12:30 p.m.
Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in Rhode Island.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Henri landed in the coastal town of Westerly around 12:30 p.m. It had previously passed over Block Island, a small but popular tourist island located 13 miles off Block Island Sound.
Henri was blowing maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour), and it was producing waves of 19 feet (5.8 meters) in some places just before making landfall.
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12:15 p.m.
Rhode Island has closed the state’s main bridges due to high winds.
All roads leading to the seaside community of Misquamicut have been closed by authorities due to wind-driven flooding. Misquamicut is a small group of beach hotels and vacation cabins and was heavily damaged by the storm surge during Super Storm Sandy.
The state is sewn up by bridges, so closing them can mean people are trapped where they are until the storm passes.
National Grid reports 74,000 customers without power in Rhode Island and EverSource reports nearly 20,000 customers in Connecticut.
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7:40
Henri weakened slightly in a tropical storm early Sunday as he neared landing.
Millions of people on Long Island in New York and southern New England braced for flooding, overturned trees and prolonged power outages.
Henri was about to crash over a long stretch of the northeast coast at noon on Sunday. The center of the storm must have passed over the eastern tip of Long Island.
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MORE ABOUT THE STORM:
__ Heavy rains interrupted a star-studded concert in Central Park on Saturday night, intended to celebrate New York’s re-emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.
__ A look at some of the biggest questions about Henri and his impact.
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