Tropical storm Henri made landfall in the Eastern U.S. state of Rhode Island Sunday.
The storm, recently downgraded from a hurricane, knocked out power in tens of thousands of homes, as much of the region braced for possible flooding from increased rain.
The National Hurricane Center said that New York’s Long Island and southern New England should prepare for dangerous storm surges and flooding rainfall.
Even though Tropical Storm Henri was hundreds of kilometers away on Saturday night, it forced an early end to New York City’s “Homecoming Concert” in Central Park. According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, the event was meant to “really tell people New York City was back, to tell the whole world.”
Barry Manilow was cut off midsong and concertgoers were told to calmly but quickly exit the park. Other scheduled performers included Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Jennifer Hudson, Carlos Santana, LL Cool J and Andrea Bocelli.
Evacuation orders for New York’s Fire Island and some Connecticut coastal communities were issued Saturday.
Several popular summer vacation destinations are in Henri’s path, including Long Island, Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee both told their states’ residents to stay home through Monday morning.
"We consider this a serious matter," McKee said at a news conference.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker expressed relief Saturday that his state would not take a direct hit but joined Lamont and McKee in warning that the wind and rain could lead to serious damage and lengthy power outages.
Hurricane, storm and storm surge watches and warnings have been declared for many locations along the East Coast of the U.S. A storm surge of 1 meter to 1.5 meters is possible from New York City to Massachusetts, the hurricane center said.
Henri is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 8 to 15 centimeters over Long Island, New England, southeast New York and northern New Jersey Sunday into Monday, with isolated maximum totals near 25 centimeters.
