Hurricane Grace Nears Second Landfall in Mexico as Henri Prepares to Unleash Mayhem on New England
© REUTERS / Paola Chiomante
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Prior to the start of the 2021 hurricane season, forecasters and eagle-eyed storm watchers revealed that this year's set of storms would see renewed intensity across the Atlantic, with as many as five major hurricanes above a Category 3 status emerging.
Having gained renewed strength in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Grace is set to make its second landfall on mainland Mexico late Friday, as the ever-growing Tropical Storm Henri gears up to wallop much of the New England region as a possible hurricane.
In its latest advisory, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) revealed that Grace is currently "intensifying" about 105 miles east of Tuxpan, a coastal city within the Mexican state of Veracruz. Officials have detected maximum sustained wind speeds of 100 miles per hour, effectively marking Grace as a Category 2 cyclone.
— Hurricane Hunters (@53rdWRS) August 20, 2021
The system is currently inching toward the mainland at a pace of 10 miles per hour, but is expected to undergo "rapid weakening" once it begins to move over the mountains of central Mexico. At present, Grace's hurricane-force winds are stretching about 25 miles from the system's eye and tropical-storm-force winds are extending some 125 miles.
Officials have warned that the hurricane will bring with it a dangerous storm surge that may raise water levels by as much as 6 feet along the coastline, which will more than likely be battered by "large and destructive waves." In terms of rainfall, officials are forecasting that parts of Mexico could get up to 12 inches of rain, with isolated totals nearing 18 inches.
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 21, 2021
"Heavy rainfall from Grace will result in significant flash and urban flooding as well as mudslides," reads the latest NHC bulletin. "These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."
Hurricane Grace made its first landfall early Thursday on the Yucatán Peninsula, near the popular tourist destination of Tulum. It had come ashore as a Category 1 storm as it brought sustained winds of 80 miles per hour to the region.
Damages from the initial landfall appeared to be minimal as many images being shared from the ground showed downed street signs, flailing palm trees, some flooded roadways and outages.
Ding, Ding - Your Turn New England
However, as many keep their focus on Grace, forecasters are also tracking Tropical Storm Henri, which is expected to be upgraded into a hurricane before unleashing mayhem all along the New England region over the weekend.
The US hurricane agency detailed in a separate advisory that Henri is expected to "become a hurricane tonight or Saturday, and be at or near hurricane strength when it makes landfall in Long Island or southern New England" on Sunday.
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) August 20, 2021
Churning some 270 miles from North Carolina's Cape Hatteras, Henri has so far maintained maximum sustained wind speeds of 70 miles per hour while moving at a pace of 7 miles per hour.
The latest readings indicate that tropical-storm-force winds can be felt as far as 115 miles from the cyclone's center.
With powerful winds and heavy rainfall forecasted for much of the area, officials all along the New England coast, especially in New York City, have urged residents to stay indoors.
