Hurricane Henri Hammers Northeast

Storm’s Torrential Rains Served as Tropical Hors D’oeuvres for Ida’s Remnants

During the years of 2020 and 2021, the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast had to deal with more than just the COVID-19 pandemic.  There were also the fierce winter storms from December 2020 to February 2021.  There was snow during the first week of May 2020.   Finally, there were several tropical storms and hurricanes such as Isaias and Ida.  Hurricane Henri hammered the Northeastern United States with heavy rain.

Forming in the Western Atlantic in the middle of August 2021, Henri zig-zagged its way up the East Coast of the United States before making landfalls on Block Island and Westerly Rhode Island in Southern New England.  Henri strengthened to a minimal hurricane before moving into cooler waters and weakening before coming ashore.  The big story with Henri was the torrential rains and rough surf it brought with it.  The rainfall served as hors d’oeuvres ahead of the flooding rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

Hurricane Henri Hammers Northeast – Storm Facts

Hurricane Henri lasted for a little more than a week.  Nevertheless, Henri brought plenty of weather over the last several days of its journey.  Forming on August 15th, Henri ended up making two landfalls.  The eighth named storm of 2021 became a Category One Hurricane before noon on August 21st, a little over 24 hours before making landfall.

Henri weakened to a tropical storm about four hours before making its first landfall on August 22nd.  Following its two landfalls across Rhode Island, Henri rapidly weakened to a depression by midnight on August 23rd.  Peak intensity was 75 miles per hour and a minimum central pressure of 986 millibars, or 29.12 inches at 5:00 AM on August 22nd.

The storm made landfall at both Block Island and Waverly, Rhode Island with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour.  Minimum pressure at Block Island was 987 millibars or 29.15 inches while the barometer was slightly higher at 988 millibars or 29.18 inches at Waverly.  Below is a summary and data timeline for Hurricane Henri.

Storm:  HENRI
Year:  2021
Dates Active:  2021-08-15 to 2021-08-24
Maximum Sustained Winds:   75 mph
Minimum Pressure:   986 mb or 29.12 inches

Time	Lat	Lon	Winds (mph)	Pressure (mb)
8/15/21 12:00 AM	35.8	63.4	30	1014
8/15/21 6:00 AM	35.4	63.1	30	1012
8/15/21 12:00 PM	34.8	62.8	30	1012
8/15/21 6:00 PM	34.1	62.7	30	1011
8/16/21 12:00 AM	33.4	62.7	35	1010
8/16/21 6:00 AM	32.5	62.7	35	1010
8/16/21 12:00 PM	31.6	62.7	35	1010
8/16/21 6:00 PM	31.1	62.9	40	1009
8/17/21 12:00 AM	30.8	63.1	45	1008
8/17/21 6:00 AM	30.6	63.3	50	1004
8/17/21 12:00 PM	30.4	63.6	50	1004
8/17/21 6:00 PM	30.3	63.9	65	1000
8/18/21 12:00 AM	30.2	64.5	65	998
8/18/21 6:00 AM	30.1	65.3	65	998
8/18/21 12:00 PM	30	66.2	65	998
8/18/21 6:00 PM	29.9	67.1	70	995
8/19/21 12:00 AM	29.7	68.0	70	995
8/19/21 6:00 AM	29.5	69.0	70	995
8/19/21 12:00 PM	29.5	70.0	70	995
8/19/21 6:00 PM	29.6	71.0	65	999
8/20/21 12:00 AM	29.7	72.0	65	997
8/20/21 6:00 AM	29.9	72.9	65	995
8/20/21 12:00 PM	30.1	73.6	65	995
8/20/21 6:00 PM	30.8	73.8	70	994
8/21/21 12:00 AM	31.6	73.7	70	993
8/21/21 6:00 AM	32.5	73.4	70	993
8/21/21 12:00 PM	33.6	72.7	75	991
8/21/21 6:00 PM	35.4	71.8	75	990
8/22/21 12:00 AM	37.6	70.9	75	988
8/22/21 6:00 AM	39.4	71.0	75	986
8/22/21 12:00 PM	40.7	71.3	65	986
8/22/21 3:20 PM	41.2	71.6	65	987
8/22/21 4:15 PM	41.3	71.8	65	988
8/22/21 6:00 PM	41.5	72.0	45	991
8/23/21 12:00 AM	41.8	73.0	35	1000
8/23/21 6:00 AM	41.7	74.4	30	1005
8/23/21 12:00 PM	41.6	74.2	30	1005
8/23/21 6:00 PM	41.5	73.8	30	1005
8/24/21 12:00 AM	41.4	72.7	25	1006
8/24/21 6:00 AM	41.9	71.2	25	1006
8/24/21 12:00 PM	42.2	69.6	25	1007
8/24/21 6:00 PM	42.3	67.3	30	1008

The storm managed to strengthen into a minimal hurricane despite its latitude thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.  A resilient storm, Henri began as a non-tropical low.  The storm formed some 200 miles to the north-northeast of Bermuda on August 15th.  

The slow motion of the non-tropical low allowed it to meander over the relatively warmer waters of the Western Atlantic and gradually acquire tropical characteristics.  Within a day or so, Henri emerged as a tropical storm.  Moving to the southwest, Henri struggled to get better organized thanks to encountering some northerly shear.

The shear eventually let up, and combined with the increased heat content provided by the Gulf Stream, Henri enjoyed a resurgence that consisted of strengthening from 65 miles per hour at 5:00 PM on August 19th to minimal hurricane strength some 42 hours later. 

State	Number of Tornadoes	Strongest on EF Scale and Location
Massachusetts	3	EF0 – Bolton, Marlborough, and Stow

Henri produced a variety of impacts from New Jersey to New Hampshire.  The storm produced storm surge and heavy surf along the coast.   Gale to hurricane force winds in coastal areas.  Several EF0 tornadoes in Massachusetts.  The most significant impact brought by Henri was torrential rainfall.

In the end, Henri was not responsible for any deaths in the United States.  There were two deaths in North Carolina due to rip currents, but they were not attributed to Henri.  However, the flooding and power outages from the hurricane resulted in approximately $700 million in damage.

In Central Jersey, there was significant flooding in the area of the Manalapan River in Middlesex County locations such as Cranbury, Englishtown, Helmetta, Jamesburg, Monroe, and Spotswood.  Over 140,000 homes in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts were left without power in the storm’s wake.

Henri Packs a Punch – Variety of Impacts from Mid-Atlantic to New England

The effects brought by Hurricane Henri began to be felt along the Jersey Shore during the day on Saturday, August 21st.  Rough surf and swells battered the Garden State coastline from Sandy Hook to Cape May.  Greg’s Weather Center and Hurricaneville traveled to Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island and Barnegat Beach on Island Beach State Park to witness the wave action from Henri.

The swells were more impressive at Barnegat Beach than at Barnegat Light.  There was a good deal of overwash and beach erosion at Barnegat Beach by the time GWC got there.  Rain began to pick up during the day on August 21st and continued at a steady rate through August 22nd.  

By the time the rainfall ended on the evening of Sunday, August 22nd, Henri had dumped nearly three and three-quarters inches of rain at Greg’s Weather Center in South Plainfield, NJ.  Despite the threat of heavy rain, a concert was still on schedule in New York City on Saturday evening.

Location	Peak Wind Gust (mph)
Point Judith, RI	78
Block Island, RI	68
Halfway Rock, RI	68
Great Gull Island, NY	60
Ninigret Pond, RI	58
Littleton Compton, RI	57
Sakonnet Vineyards, RI	55
University of Rhode Island	55
Horseback Beach, MA	54
Mashpee, MA	51
West Island, MA	51
U.S. Coast Guard Academy	49
Wellfleet, MA	48
Stonington Outer Breakwater, CT	48
Duxbury, MA	47
Vineyard Station, MA	46
Groton, CT	46
Stony Brook, NY	46
Martha’s Vineyard, MA	45
Squantum, MA	45
West Dennis, MA	45
Baiting Hollow, NY	45
New York, NY	44
Middletown, CT	43
Napeague, NY	43
Shinnecock Light, NY	43
Fisher’s Island, NY	42
Eatons Neck, NY	40
Montauk, NY	39
Williamantic, CT	38
Avalon, NJ	37
Clinton, CT	36
Hartford, CT	37
Orient, NY	36
Southold, NY	36
Chester, CT	35
Hammonasset, CT	35
Norwalk Light, CT	35
Pawcatuck, CT	35
Bayville, NY	35
Tappan Zee Light, NY	35
East Moriches, NY	34
Point O’Woods Yacht Club, NY	34
Meriden, CT	34
New Haven, CT	32
Trenton, NJ	28
Howell, NJ	26
Bridgeport, CT	24
Kings Point, NY	24
Belmar, NJ	24
Barnegat Light, NJ	23
Parsippany, NJ	22
Stone Harbor, NJ	22
Morris Knolls, NJ	21
Ship Bottom, NJ	21
Brick, NJ	20
Cape May, NJ	20

The concert did get underway and went on for a while, but eventually was stopped as the threat of the storm became a harsh reality.  There was flooding throughout much of New York City and nearby Brooklyn, New York.  Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled at New York City’s three major airports.  

Public transportation in the Big Apple was also left at a standstill.  State Parks south of Interstate 84 in New York were forced to shut down.  Mandatory evacuations were issued in coastal communities in Connecticut.  Storm surge levels ranged between 2 to 4 feet above normal in coastal areas in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Rainfall amounts were their highest in Southeastern New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Northern New Jersey, and Central Jersey.  Anywhere from 5 to 10 inches fell in these areas and resulted in flooding in many locations.  Some 200 residents along the Manalapan River from Cranbury to Englishtown in Central Jersey needed to flee to higher ground. Another 100 needed to be rescued from flash floods in Newark.

Location	Rainfall (in inches)
Cranston, RI	11.00
Greenwood Lake, NY	9.88
East Windsor, NJ	9.02
Cranbury, NJ	8.91
Ringwood, NJ	8.73
Jamesburg, NJ	8.36
Harrison, NJ	8.27
West Milford, NJ	8.25
Little Neck, NY	8.07
Bedminster, NJ	7.75
Hopewell, NJ	7.75
Far Hills, NJ	7.71
Plainsboro, NJ	7.71
Howard Beach, NY	7.68
Helmetta, NJ	7.28
Herricks, NY	7.25
Long Beach, NJ	6.49
Brooklyn, NY	6.38
Lake Harmony, PA	6.13
Surf City, NJ	5.81
Portland, PA	5.76
Ship Bottom, NJ	5.65
Hebron, CT	5.94
Westhampton, MA	5.54
Moscow, PA	5.48
Manchester, CT	5.46
Colchester, CT	5.35
Prospect Park, NY	5.30
Mount Pocono, PA	5.26
Stafford, NJ	5.25
Farmingdale, NJ	5.24
Clifton, NJ	5.23
Sheepshead Bay, NY	5.21
South Slope, NY	5.16
Martins Creek, PA	5.16
Saylorsburg, PA	5.09
Cloverhill, NJ	4.85
Midtown Manhattan, NY	4.81
Old Bridge, NJ	4.77
West Creek, NJ	4.77
Jersey City, NJ	4.71
Deans, NJ	4.63
Colts Neck, NJ	4.57
Ringoes, NJ	4.57
Central Park, NY	4.47
Skillman, NJ	4.46
Watchung, NJ	4.39
Battery Park, NY	4.38
Flatbush, NY	4.32
South River, NJ	4.31
East Brunswick, NJ	4.25
Greenpoint, NY	4.24
Franklin Township, NJ	4.23
Spotswood, NJ	4.17
Danbury, CT	4.13
Flemington, NJ	4.11
Belle Mead, NJ	4.08
Crown Heights, NY	4.07
Monroe, NJ	4.06
North Brunswick, NJ	4.01
Warren, NJ	3.90
Englishtown, NJ	3.81
Freehold, NJ	3.76
Coney Island, NY	3.75
South Plainfield, NJ	3.74
Berkeley Township, NJ	3.72
New London, CT	3.70

Henri’s rainfall helped set the stage for the flooding that ensued from the remnants of Hurricane Ida some ten days later.  The torrential rains from Hurricane Henri saturated the ground enough to make it unable to withstand the even heavier rains from Ida’s remains.

The two tropical systems combined to produce 11.12 inches of rain at Greg’s Weather Center in South Plainfield, NJ.  Only the rainfall from August 2011 including that of Hurricane Irene (15.33 inches) and over 13 inches of rain from the combination of tropical storms Dennis and Floyd in 1999 produced more rain in Northwestern Middlesex County.

Winds ranged from 20 miles per hour down in Cape May, New Jersey to almost 80 miles per hour in Port Judith, Rhode Island near the storm’s landfalls.  The highest wind gust from Henri in the New York City metro area was 60 miles per hour at Great Gull Island, New York.

Comparing Henri to Past Storms in the Mid-Atlantic

Taking a look at Henri compared to past storms and you find that it was more of a rainmaker for New York and New Jersey, and more of a combination of wind and rain with some surge for Long Island and Southern New England.

At Greg’s Weather Center in South Plainfield, New Jersey, Henri was a rainmaker.  While it wasn’t accompanied by any torrential rainfall rates during the storm at GWC, Henri still manufactured a steady rain that resulted in one of the wettest storms on record there.

Henri’s total of 3.74 inches ranks fifth all-time at GWC.  Only Floyd (1999), Doria (1971), Ida (2021), and Irene (2011) rank ahead of it.  Three of those four storms and Henri have occurred during the latest active cycle in the tropics (1995 to present).  

Hurricane Henri had similar rainfall amounts to Hurricane Belle (1976) and Hurricane Gloria (1985).  Both Belle and Gloria took tracks further west into Long Island and Connecticut before moving into New England.  On a personal note, Belle and Gloria happened during my childhood.

I recall Gloria much more than I remember Belle.  Gloria occurred during the first month of my sophomore year in high school. Belle occurred during the summer before I went into first grade.  Gloria brought more rain than wind.  All I can remember from Belle was people from further down the street parking their cars up the street to avoid flooding from the nearby swamp.