NYC residents told to stay home – follow Hurricane Henri live

The Professional Golfers’ Association Tour has postponed the final round of the Northern Trust tournament, scheduled to take place at Liberty National Golf Course in New Jersey on Sunday.

A statement from the PGA Tour read: “Based on the projected path of Tropical Storm Henri and the Tropical Storm Warning that has been issued by the National Hurricane Centre for the area where the Northern Trust is located, there will be no play on Sunday 22 August”.

It added that round 4 would be played on Monday instead, beginning no earlier than 7.30am EDT. Tee times and groupings are expected to be posted this afternoon.

As New York City remains under a state of emergency, mayor Bill de Blasio is continuing to encourage residents to stay home until it passes.

The tropical storm was downgraded from a hurricane in the early hours of this morning, but officials say its threat to the US East Coast remains high.

The state of emergency was declared in parts of New York on Saturday, after it was discovered that winds of up to 75mph (120km/h) and as much as six inches (15cm) of rain are expected.

“I’m telling all New Yorkers: Stay home tomorrow,” Mr de Blasio told the New York Times on Saturday.

Here’s what he said when announcing the state of emergency:

As tropical storm Henri is set to make landfall in the northeastern US by midday Saturday, residents have been scrambling to make preparations.

Those living near the coast have boarded up windows to protect their homes, and residents have made runs on supplies including generators and batteries amid warnings that power outages caused by the storm could last days. A number of gas stations from Cape Cod to Long Island have even sold out of fuel.

Residents on Fire Island, a strip of sandy villages barely above sea level, just off of Long Island’s southern coast, were urged to evacuate on Saturday night. The last boats left the island before 11pm, and officials warned that there may be no way of reaching people left behind.

Some New York City Covid testing sites will be closed on Sunday due to Storm Henri, a New York healthcare provider has said.

NYC Health and Hospitals announced on Twitter: “Service Alert: Due to #HurricaneHenri, all NYC Health + Hospitals #COVID19 Testing Sites will be closed Sunday, August 22 and all NYC Health + Hospitals COVID-19 hospital-based vaccine clinics will close by 1pm on Sunday. #NYCTestandTrace”

Adding: “All other community testing and vaccination sites run by the NYC Health + Hospitals/NYC Test & Trace sites will remain open.”

As of 8am EDT, here are the latest updates from the National Hurricane Centre:

The centre of Henri is moving closer to eastern Long Island and southern New England. It is currently 40 miles south-southeast of Montauk Point, Long Island and 75 miles south of Providence Rhode Island.

Maximum sustained winds remain at 70mph as the storm moves at a slightly slower pace of 16mph down from 18mph an hour ago.

The National Hurricane Centre warned that dangerous storm surges, strong gusty winds and flooding rainfall are expected across portions of the northeastern United States.

A meteorologist has been reporting on flooding in New Jersey in the early morning hours.

Jordan Steele, meteorologist for America’s Morning Headquarters, tweeted: “Flooding happening NOW in New Jersey. High Water Rescues are in place near Trenton as heavy rain continues to fall. This is the same feeder band from #hurricane #Henri that brought 4-6” of rain around NYC yesterday.”

He added that 6.5in of rain had been recorded in Middlesex, New Jersey, as homes were flooding and water rescues were ongoing.

The National Hurricane Centre has reported that as of 7am, Henri’s maximum sustained winds were 70mph, down from 75mph overnight.

This speed downgrades Henri from a hurricane, which are characterised by winds of 75mph and above, to a tropical storm.

But, as WeatherNation lead meteorologist Steve Glazier says, tropical storm Henri “will still pack a punch”.

The centre of Hurricane Henri is projected to pass just off the eastern tip of Long Island by midday. It is currently around 50 miles southeast of Montauk Point on the tip of Long Island, and 80 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island, the National Hurricane Centre said in a 7am EDT update.

Henri’s maximum sustained winds are at 70mph – just below hurricane strength – moving north at 18mph. Both windspeed figures are slightly slower than those reported at 2am EDT, when sustained winds were at 75mph and the storm was moving at a speed of 21mph.

New York City resident and Twitter user @ExplainItToMe captured a stunning video of the flooding overnight in Brooklyn.

A staircase on the Eastern Parkway behind the Brooklyn Public Library has effectively become a waterfall.

The National Hurricane Centre issued four new key messages at 5am EDT on Sunday.

1. Dangerous storm surge inundation is expected to begin this morning in portions of Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and southeastern Massachusetts, where a Storm Surge Warning has been issued. Residents in these areas should follow any advice given by local officials.

2. Hurricane conditions are expected to begin this morning in portions of Long Island, Connecticut, and Rhode Island where a Hurricane Warning is in effect. Tropical storm conditions will begin in these areas within the next couple of hours.

3. Heavy rainfall may lead to considerable flash, urban, and small stream flooding, along with the potential for widespread minor to isolated moderate river flooding over portions of Long Island, New England, eastern New York and New Jersey.

4. Swells from Henri will continue to affect much of the east coast of the US during the next day or so. These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.