It's exactly 30 years since a hurricane last made a direct hit on New England and now the region is bracing for the possibility of another. New Englanders were warily watching on Thursday as Tropical Storm Henri gathered strength in the Atlantic and headed for the northeastern U.S. Forecasters say Henri will likely strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches southern New England, with the first coastal impacts possible on Sunday.

So what are we looking at here in the Berkshires?
Tropical Storm Henri has all New Englanders refreshing their forecasts for days and, as the storm’s track becomes clearer, Our Weather partner AccuWeather meteorologists are saying now is the time to get ready for the arrival of a hurricane that’s coming this weekend.

AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said.

"This is the most serious hurricane risk in New England in 30 years, since Hurricane Bob in 1991, Henri is rated a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes due to the anticipated rainfall, damaging winds and storm surge set to impact New England.

www.accuweather.com
www.accuweather.com
loading...

Hurricane watches have been issued by the National Hurricane Center as of this Friday morning for areas ranging from the South Shore of Long Island, New York, to Massachusetts’s Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Block Island.

Tropical storm watches were posted, too, for some areas nearby the New York City metro area.

AccuWeather forecasters think that Henri will make landfall as a hurricane just west of Narragansett Bay in the Rhode Island Sound on Sunday evening.

So it looks like we are going to have some humidity, probably a lot, and rain in the forecast over the weekend and over into Wednesday unless Henri decides to go back out into the Atlantic. Also FYI There will be storm surge along the coast.

WUPE logo
Get our free mobile app

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

TIPS: Here's how you can prepare for power outages

 

KEEP READING: Get answers to 51 of the most frequently asked weather questions...

 

KEEP READING: What to do after a tornado strikes

More From WUPE