Henri's track has shifted west and now directly threatens Charlestown

Greater odds of storm effects on us

By Will Collette

As I noted yesterday, it's hard to predict the exact track and intensity of major storms. Henri, now a tropical storm, is expected to reach hurricane strength tomorrow as it moves up the Atlantic coast.

Current forecasts show all of southern Rhode Island, including Charlestown, well within the "cone" for Henri which is now shown to have strength somewhere between hurricane and tropical storm force when it arrives off our coast Saturday night and into Sunday and maybe Monday.

Right now, we are likely to be on the LEFT side of the storm. Generally, the RIGHT side of the storm is much worse with far higher winds.

Here's the latest National Weather Service forecast for Charlestown:

If the storm effects continue into Monday, it will hamper and slow down line repairs to restore power for in the event the storm is strong enough to knock out power.

Here is the NWS "Hazardous Weather Outlook:"

Tropical Storm Henri is forecast to track near Cape Cod and the
Islands or just offshore Sunday into Monday. There is the potential
for damaging winds, flooding rainfall, and storm surge flooding.

Here's a tighter look at the forecasted storm track (the black line) and the cone (blue shading):

Here's the National Hurricane Center's current map showing its wind forecast:

There are almost two days left before Henri's current forecast arrival time and that's plenty of time for the storm to change course and intensity - for better or worse. 

Be sure to jam local markets to buy milk, white bread, Pampers, beer, etc. Just kidding. But do pay attention and take prudent measures, such as securing loose objects that could go flying in a strong wind.

For more details on what to do to prepare for and survive serious storms, check out Charlestown's Emergency Management Agency's webpage HERE.