BOSTON — Henri is now a tropical depression as the storm continues to weaken across New England Sunday evening.
The wind continues to weaken, but the message stays the same for Monday: rain will be the biggest concern as it moves back east, according to the Boston 25 Weather Team.
Shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said Henri is still expected to produce heavy rainfall and flooding across parts of southern New England and northern mid-Atlantic states through Monday.
Because the storm weakened, the National Hurricane Center canceled tropical storm warnings and there are no coastal watches or warnings remaining.
Several communities have reported damage as a result of the storm.
In Auburn Sunday night, powerlines on Prospect Street were holding up tree branches. Police blocked off the street as a precaution.
The storm for the most part spared Massachusetts’ South Coast but some people are dealing with issues.
Over in Dartmouth, Lili Chamberlain was home at the time when she felt the house shake. That shaking was the front yard tree coming through Lilli’s roof -- into her daughter’s bedroom the day after her daughter went off to college.
“She would have probably been sleeping it was about 10:20 in the morning so she probably would have been sleeping, said Chamberlain, adding that her daughter was upset after learning about the damage.
Chamberlain and her neighbors thought the storm was going to be a bigger problem for their area and they are happy they were wrong.
“I was expecting much bigger of a storm for sure. I thought we were going to get more rain, more wind, more everything. I’m happy we didn’t, it was just kind of a freak thing,” said Chamberlain.
The power that was knocked out by the tree was restored Sunday night. Chamberlain’s power was still being restored on Sunday evening.
Over in Palmer, a tree fell through a windshield of an occupied vehicle at the intersection of Longview and Buckland streets. In Auburn, a large tree fell onto a home on Prospect street.
And several trees have come down throughout Dudley.
In Rhode Island, more than 75,000 residents were without power on Sunday afternoon, according to National Grid.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said thousands of utility customers were in the dark on Sunday as Henri moved through the area.
But most of that power was restored Sunday. As of 10:32 p.m., MEMA was reporting 1,559 customers without power.
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The center of the storm made landfall in Westerly, Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center said data from Hurricane Hunter aircraft showed the center moved into Westerly around 12:15 p.m. with winds of 60 mph.
In addition, a weather station in Point Judith, Rhode Island, measured a sustained wind of 57 mph and had a gust of 70 mph.
The center of Henri also passed over Block Island at 11 a.m.
Henri was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday morning as it made its way across portions of southern New England.
Henri weakened slightly to a tropical storm early Sunday but still packed wind gusts of up to 75 mph in some areas as it was slated to pummel a long stretch of northeastern coastline, where millions on New York’s Long Island and in southern New England braced for the possibility of flooding, toppled trees and extended power outages.
Experts warned that the storm’s biggest threat likely wouldn’t come from the wind but from storm surge and inland flooding, caused by what was expected to be heavy and sustained rains.
In preparation for the storm, officials in Providence, Rhode Island, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, closed giant hurricane barriers that were built in the 1960s, after devastating storms in 1938 and 1954.
Those have since been reopened.
Massachusetts’ Steamship Authority canceled ferry service between the mainland and the popular vacation islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket until at least noon Sunday after the U.S. Coast Guard shut down ports on Cape Cod and New Bedford. Tourists waiting in their cars, hoping for a last-minute ferry off the islands, were stranded until the worst of Henri passes.
PREVIOUS: Steamship Authority cancels ferry service through noon due to Henri
The first thunderstorms arrived late Saturday, and flash flooding began in some areas overnight. Bands of heavy rain overwhelmed storm drains and drivers plowed through foot-deep water in a few spots in New York City, and Newark, and Hoboken, New Jersey.
Tropical storm-intensity winds struck the coast Sunday morning. Rising tide threatened to produce dangerous storm surge. People in the projected path spent Saturday scrambling to stock up on groceries and gasoline. Those close to the coast boarded up windows and, in some cases, evacuated.
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Live Updates for Sunday, August 22
10:32 p.m.: The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency was reporting 1,559 customers without power.
9 p.m.: National Grid says it has restored power to over 72,700 customers in the New England region, and will continue restoration work as conditions are deemed safe. Nearly 4,000 field personnel are responding to power outages in the New England region.
8 p.m.: Henri is now a tropical depression. The wind continues to weaken, but the message stays the same for Monday: rain will be the biggest concern as it moves back east, according to the Boston 25 Weather Team.
5 p.m.: In the latest position and track of Tropical Storm (barely) Henri, remnants move through tomorrow, according to the Boston 25 Weather Team. Also, Tropical Storm Warnings have expired for our area with the wind threat going down. We will have to deal with more rain Monday as the storm moves back east, and there could be some rotating storms as well.
4:40 p.m.: Eversource says it is moving 100 crews from Cape Cod to Connecticut.
4 p.m.: Due to current and forecasted conditions for the tides and storm surge, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said its team has opened or is in the process of opening three hurricane barriers: in Stamford, Connecticut, Fox Point in Rhode Island and in New Bedford, Massachusetts. All three hurricane barriers will remain staffed throughout Sunday evening and the high tide cycles on Monday.
2:30 p.m.: Winds from Tropical Storm Henri are estimated to be 50 mph as the storm continues to move northwest at 9 mph.
12:45 p.m.: Tropical Storm Henri has officially made landfall in Westerly, Rhode Island with 60 mph winds
11 a.m.: The National Hurricane Center said the center of Henri is passing close to Block Island as it continues to head for southern New England. A dangerous storm surge, strong wind and flooding rain are expected.
9 a.m.: Damage reports are now coming in for parts of Rhode Island as Tropical Storm Henri continues to deliver heavy wind gusts and rain across the state before traveling Martha’s Vineyard at 40 mph.
7 a.m.: Henri has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but the impact for heavy rain and strong wind continues as it makes its way up southern New England, through Rhode Island, before arriving in Massachuetts by early afternoon.
Live Updates for Saturday, August 21
11 p.m.: The latest track information shows Henri is speeding up, but will slow down and weaken slightly before making landfall, according to the Boston 25 Weather Team. The track has shifted a little to the east.
8 p.m.: Henri’s movement and wind are the same, according to the Boston 25 Weather Team. Our meteorologists are expecting landfall along eastern Long Island through southern Connecticut and Rhode Island, with slight strengthening overnight as the storm moves through some warmer waters. However, it will then weaken as it approaches cooler waters over New England and some wind shear.
6:45 p.m.: Eversource says utility crews from across the nation are arriving at its staging area on Cape Cod.
5 p.m.: According to the 5 p.m. track update, Henri is picking up speed, now moving NNE at 18 mph. Additional strengthening is still possible tonight. As it gets closer to the coast of southern New England/New York, it will start to weaken and it will slow down a bit. Expected landfall after 2 p.m. Sunday, maybe closer to 5 p.m. This could change. The track brings the storm still between Long Island and southern Rhode Island.
2 p.m.: According to the 2 p.m. track update, Henri remains a hurricane. It is moving a little faster since the last update. No big changes to the forecast track. Still watching potential landfall between Long Island and Block Island on Sunday.
1:45 p.m.: Sunday’s ferry between Martha’s Vineyard & Inter-Island has been canceled.
1 p.m.: Boston 25 News reporter Kirsten Glavin had lots of company while leaving the Cape this afternoon.
10:55 a.m.: Henri strengthens to Category 1 hurricane.
10 a.m.: Sunday’s WooSox game has been canceled due to the storm. Fans can exchange their tickets for any future WooSox game this season at Polar Park, including Saturday afternoon’s game at 4:05 p.m.
9:15 a.m.: The New England Aquarium will be closed on Sunday, August 22 in anticipation of the storm. The area around the Aquarium is notorious for flooding during storms.
8 a.m.: Hurricane Hunters just flew into Tropical Storm Henri. It is forecast to become a hurricane Saturday afternoon and will near New England tomorrow.
7:30 a.m.: Flood Watch issued for central and western MA, CT, RI and Long Island.
5:30 a.m.: Henri remains a Tropical Storm Saturday morning and is expected to become a Category 1 Hurricane by the afternoon, according to Meteorologist Vicki Graf. Multiple advisories are in place including:
-A Tropical Storm Warning for the South Coast, Martha’s Vineyard into southern Rhode Island
-Hurricane Warning for Long Island and southern Connecticut
-Storm Surge Warning for Cape & Islands, as well as South Coast
-Flood Watch across central and western MA, CT, RI and Long Island
Friday, August 20
11:13 p.m.: Henri is again farther west, which is good news for eastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, according to Chief Meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz.
8 p.m.: Henri is still a Tropical Storm and this does not change the track, in the latest update from Chief Meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz.
5 p.m.: Henri’s track shifted more westward in the latest update from the Boston 25 Weather Team.
2 p.m.:
1:15 p.m.:
11 a.m.:
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