chart showing east cost of US map with forecasted path of Henri storm hurricane
A NOAA forecast showing the expected path of Hurricane Henri through August 22, 2021.
National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center
  • Images of Hurricane Henri show New York being battered by extreme weather.
  • New Yorkers are being urged to stay home and "prepare for the worst."
  • Governor Cuomo warns Henri could be as devastating as Super Storm Sandy.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, is urging New Yorkers to stay home amid the wrath of Hurricane Henri.

Henri, which has been upgraded from a tropical storm, is expected to bring winds of up to 75mph (120km/h) and as much as six inches of rain along the northeast coast.

The We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert – meant to be a celebration of a return to (somewhat) normality post-Covid, had to be halted midway through due to the weather.

Mayor de Blasio took to the stage to issue an urgent weather warning.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tells the crowd to leave in front of an "safety message" warning after the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert was cancelled due to storms from Hurricane Henri, on the Great Lawn in Central Park on August 21, 2021
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tells the crowd to leave in front of an "safety message" warning after the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert was cancelled due to storms from Hurricane Henri, on the Great Lawn in Central Park on August 21, 2021
(Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
A person in a motorized wheel chair with an American flag leaves after the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert was cancelled due to storms from Hurricane Henri, on the Great Lawn in Central Park on August 21, 2021 in New York City
A person in a motorized wheel chair with an American flag leaves after the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert was cancelled due to storms from Hurricane Henri, on the Great Lawn in Central Park on August 21, 2021 in New York City
(Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Concert goers puts on a rain poncho minutes before the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert was cancelled due to storms from Hurricane Henri at the Great Lawn in Central Park on August 21, 2021 in New York City.
Concert goers puts on a rain poncho minutes before the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert was cancelled due to storms from Hurricane Henri at the Great Lawn in Central Park on August 21, 2021 in New York City.
(Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

As the night wore on, however, fun at a concert quickly changed to a scary reality of flooding, toppling trees, and power outages across the state of New York.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose last day in office is Monday, August 23 after a sexual harassment scandal, told New Yorkers to make last-minute preparations to battle the storm.

People are stocking up on food, moving to higher ground, and securing their properties.

Cuomo warned that Henri could be as devastating as Super Storm Sandy, which killed 285 people and inflicted $70 billion in damage in 2012.

"New Yorkers are no strangers to the damage that is possible after dealing with a hurricane - we experienced it with Superstorm Sandy and Henri is set to be that level of storm," Governor Cuomo said in a statement.

"We were given less notice to prepare for Henri because of shifting models, and while there is still time for the storm to shift again, I encourage New Yorkers to take this seriously. Plan for power outages, stock up on necessary supplies and avoid flooding areas. The state is deploying resources and we will do everything we can to ensure damage is minimal and the people of this state stay safe."

Hurricane Henri is predicted to make landfall at midday.

Officials in the state of New York have issued a mandatory evacuation order to those who live close to the water in Madison, Connecticut, with winds near the coasts expected to exceed 50mph (80kph).

People on Fire Island in Long Island have been urged to leave, while residents in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York have been warned to prepare for power outages that could last for days.

Read the original article on Insider