Forecasters are monitoring a new disturbance in the eastern Atlantic. They’re also watching the newly re-strengthened Hurricane Grace and Tropical Storm Henri, which is forecast to turn into a hurricane soon.
A Hurricane Henri could be the first one in 30 years to make a direct landfall in New England, the region of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
The new disturbance over the eastern Atlantic was producing a broad area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms several hundred miles to the southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands early Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters expect the tropical wave will interact with another wave emerging off the African coast in the next few days before entering “marginally favorable” environmental conditions, which could lead to some slow development by early next week.
Tropical Storm Henri is still chugging along the Atlantic and is expected to become a Cat 1 hurricane by Saturday, according to the hurricane center. Parts of the northeastern United States are now under storm surge, tropical storm and hurricane watches, including Martha’s Vineyard.
Maximum sustained winds were near 65 mph with higher gusts, according to the hurricane center’s 8 a.m. Friday advisory.
Henri was moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph and is expected to turn toward the northwest later Friday before another turn north.Forecasters are uncertain about Henri’s track and intensity, though nearly all of the models show the storm reaching the coast of southern New England.
The hurricane center expects Henri will quickly weaken once it slows over the colder waters south of New England. However, they say “it may not be quick enough to keep Henri from reaching the coast as a hurricane.”
If Henri retains hurricane strength and hits eastern New England, it would be the first hurricane to do so in 30 years. The last time? In 1991, when Hurricane Bob came ashore with 100 mph winds, according to CBS News.
Grace is a hurricane again. As of 8 a.m. Friday, the storm was speeding across the Gulf of Mexico at 15 mph with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 150 miles from its center and hurricane-force winds extend out 35 miles.
“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion” along the coast of mainland Mexico from Puerto Veracruz to Cabo Rojo, which are under a hurricane warning, according to the hurricane center. Grace should move across the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, where it should restrengthen into a hurricane again, before making landfall along the coast of mainland Mexico late Friday.
It should then weaken rapidly as it moves inland into the mountains of central Mexico.
“The remnants of Grace are expected to move into the Pacific where they are likely to spawn a new tropical cyclone,” forecasters wrote.
