Storm Henri: New York storm explained, path - and could remnants of it come to the UK?

Storm Henri has hit the US east coast and sparked flash flooding as well as knocking out power for thousands of homes.

Millions more are now preparing to face the storm, which was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Sunday morning.

How bad is the storm?

Storm Henri made landfall in Rhode Island on Sunday (August 23), bringing high winds and heavy rains.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Henri came ashore in Westerly around 12.30pm.

Winds were travelling at speeds of 60mph, with 19ft waves recorded in some places. As it moved inland, winds fell to speeds of 50mph.

New York and southern New England, meanwhile, have been told to prepare for lengthy power cuts, falling trees and flooding from the storm, which could continue well into Monday.

On Saturday, a concert celebrating New York City’s recovery from coronavirus was interrupted halfway through as an announcement during a Barry Manilow performance urged concert-goers to leave and seek shelter.

There have been early reports of damage across regions, and a number of flights have been cancelled.

The National Grid reported 74,000 customers without power in Rhode Island, while more than 28,000 customers were affected by cuts in Connecticut.

Parts of New Jersey have been evacuated.

Several major bridges in Rhode Island were closed, while coastal roads were rendered impassable and widespread flooding was seen across the east coast.

What’s been said?

President Joe Biden has declared disasters in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

“While New Englanders are used to dealing with some tough weather, this storm has the potential for widespread consequences across the region with significant flooding and power outages that could affect hundreds of thousands of people,” he said.

"We’re doing everything we can now to help those states prepare, respond and recover," the president said.

Before stepping down over a sexual harassment scandal, New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the state’s concern was with inland areas more susceptible to flooding.

Rainfall in the Catskills “is a significant problem”, Cuomo said.

“In the Hudson Valley you have hills, you have creeks, the water comes running down those hills and turns a creek into a ravaging river. I have seen small towns in these mountainous areas devastated by rain. That is still a very real possibility.”

Will the storm hit the UK?

The storm is unlikely to affect the UK as it is moving in a westerly direction across the US.

The UK has experienced unusual  weather patterns this year, however, with experts warning that climate change is partly to blame.

April was the sunniest on record, while May was one of the wettest. And while there have been soaring temperatures in early summer, August has been largely wet and grey for much of the country.

For the upcoming bank holiday weekend, the Met Office has predicted:

“The last week in August and into September is likely to be dominated by high pressure resulting in fine and settled weather across the UK.

“This will bring variable amounts of cloud, sunny spells, a few light showers and mainly light winds but some fog patches overnight, which clear during early morning. It looks increasingly likely that these settled conditions will persist through much of this period, with perhaps weak frontal systems bringing some light rain and showers at times.”