Tropical Storm Henri is barreling towards the New York area with hurricane-strength winds and potential storm surges that have already shut down local beaches and prompted severe weather warnings along Eastern Long Island.
Henri is expected to hit the Hamptons as a category one hurricane around 7 a.m. Sunday, packing winds up to 75 mph and heavy rains through much of the region, according to Accuweather.
Four to eight inches of rain were expected to drench eastern Long Island, Accuweather senior meteorologist Kerry Schwindenhammer told The Post Friday night.
Officials throughout the Northeast urged residents in the storm’s path to stay indoors and prepare for flooding and potential widespread power outages.
“This has the potential on Long Island and southeast New England to produce power outages that could last for days, maybe even over a week,” Schwindenhammer said, “because you’re going to be talking about wet soil, wet ground, saturated ground and you’re producing strong hurricane force wind gusts on top of that, so trees could come down on top of power lines.”
A Hurricane Warning was issued for parts of Long Island and Connecticut.
“Heavy rainfall may lead to considerable flash, urban, and small stream flooding along with the potential for widespread minor and isolated moderate river flooding over portions of Long Island and New England Sunday into Monday,” the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory Friday.
The storm’s arrival will coincide with a full moon Sunday, which could prompt higher tides and more widespread coastal flooding, the outlet said.
“This is the most serious hurricane risk in New England in 30 years,” Accuweather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said.
City officials said Friday that all city beaches will be closed on Sunday and Monday.
The storm is also threatening the planned “homecoming” concert at Central Park but officials at City Hall said the event was still on as of late Friday evening.
Sunday’s NYC Five Boro Bike Tour, however, was postponed to Aug. 29.
“We are thinking that there could be an inch or two of rain in New York City, gusts could approach 50 miles an hour, but exactly where this tracks is going to determine where the biggest impacts are,” Schwindenhammer said.
Henri is expected to hit Long Island early Sunday morning before moving north into Massachusetts, where Gov. Charlie Baker has deployed 1,000 National Guard troops.
Additional reporting by Julia Marsh