 Henri near peak intensity approaching New England on August 21 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 15, 2021 |
| Post-tropical | August 23, 2021 |
| Dissipated | August 24, 2021 |
| Category 1 hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 75 mph (120 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 986 mbar (hPa); 29.12 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 2 direct |
| Damage | $700 million (2021 USD) |
| Areas affected | Bermuda, Northeastern United States, southern Nova Scotia |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Henri (/ɒnˈriː/ ahn-REE[1]) was a tropical cyclone that impacted the Northeastern United States. The eighth named storm and third hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, Henri developed from a well-defined low-pressure system north-northeast of Bermuda, becoming a tropical depression on August 16. Nearly a day later, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Henri. Henri continued to move south, and later southwest before strengthening steadily, reaching its initial peak intensity with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a pressure of 994 mbar (29.4 inHg) early on August 19. Soon after, strong wind shear weakened Henri slightly. Eventually, on August 21, Henri strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, before weakening back to a tropical storm and making landfall in Westerly, Rhode Island, on August 22, making it the second tropical cyclone to make landfall in the U.S. state of Rhode Island during the season, seven weeks after Elsa. It proceeded to move west-northwestward, weakening into a tropical depression while slowing down later that day. On August 23, Henri degenerated into a remnant low over New England, before dissipating the next day over the Atlantic.
Despite its relatively weak intensity, the storm brought very heavy rainfall over the Northeastern United States and New England, causing widespread flooding in many areas, including cities such as New York and Boston. Power outages became extensive in the region, while wind damage was sparse in comparison. In the aftermath of Henri, many crews were put in place from around the United States to help with recovery efforts and rescues. The storm caused less damage overall than initially feared, due to a weaker landfall and faster weakening trend compared to what was previously forecast. Henri continued to drop large amounts of rain as it weakened over land, prolonging floods and power outages. Henri killed two people and caused an estimated $700 million (2021 USD) in damage.[2]
- ^ "Atlantic Basin Storm Name Pronunciations" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Berg, Robbie (January 26, 2022). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Henri (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.