NEW YORK (AP) — Henri was downgraded to a tropical depression as it churned deeper inland early Monday, with experts predicting it will settle for awhile near…
NEW YORK (AP) — Henri — once a hurricane, then a tropical storm — is now a tropical depression. The storm crawled deeper inland on Monday, with forecasters saying its remnants have turned eastward and are heading back over New England on its return to the Atlantic Ocean. What to know about the storm as it winds down: IS HENRI STILL A HURRICANE? No. The National Hurricane Center downgraded it to a tropical storm early Sunday and then to a tropical depression later in the day. It weakened as it made landfall in Rhode Island at midday. By early Monday, it was weaker still as its center moved slowly over western Massachusetts and Connecticut. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HURRICANE, TROPICAL STORM AND DEPRESSION? It’s all about the wind. Specifically, the sustained wind speeds. The maximum sustained winds for a hurricane are anything above 74 mph. A tropical storm? 39-73 mph. As of Sunday evening, Henri’s sustained winds topped out at 40 mph (64 kph), well below hurricane status. It dropped to a tropical depression when sustained winds fell below 39 mph. WHAT AREAS IS HENRI AFFECTING? After coming ashore, Henri veered west, dumping large amounts of rain on Connecticut, New York’s Hudson River Valley, parts of New Jersey and even Pennsylvania. Rain continued falling in some of those areas Monday, but cleanup was largely underway in New Jersey.. The storm surge — a wall of sea water pushed ahead of the storm by its winds — wasn’t significant like it was with 2012′s Superstorm Sandy, the effects of which are still plaguing New York. WHO IS HENRI? WHO IS BOB? WHO IS GLORIA? A stormy trio.