NEW YORK, Aug 21, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - A swath of the US east coast, including

New York City, was under alert Friday due to approaching storm Henri, which
is expected to become the first hurricane to hit the New England area in
decades.

  Forecasters warned of violent winds, the risk of flash floods and surging
seas as the storm churned in the Atlantic, with landfall expected on Sunday.

  "Strengthening is forecast during the next day or so, and Henri is expected
to become a hurricane tonight (Friday) or Saturday," the US National
Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin.

  Officials in the New England region -- which includes Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont -- warned people to
get ready.

  "All residents are advised to begin storm preparations today, and to pay
close attention to local weather," said the office of Massachusetts Governor
Charlie Baker.

  His state, which will close parks and beaches from Saturday to Monday, was
bracing for the high winds to knock out electricity for up to 300,000 locals,
the governors office said.

  NHC forecasters said Henri was packing sustained winds of nearly 70 miles
(110 kilometers) per hour and threatened New York, as well as the neighboring
New England states with potentially 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in
some areas.

  Storm "swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current
conditions," said the NHC bulletin.

  If Henri strengthens as expected and stays on its current course, the storm
would be the first hurricane to directly hit New England in 30 years.

  "The last hurricane to make landfall onto New England was Hurricane Bob in
1991," Dennis Feltgen, an NHC spokesman, told AFP. That storm killed at least
17 people.

  It's been almost a decade since such severe weather was expected in part of
the region.

  "The last time we had hurricane watches issued for the area was for
Hurricane Irene, back in late August of 2011," tweeted the National Weather
Service in New York City.