Tropical Storm Henri could bring high surf, rip currents later in the week

Though the recently formed Tropical Storm Henri is expected to remain well offshore with no direct impacts to the Outer Banks, Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands could see a potential increase in swell and a high risk of rip currents later in the week, per a recent update from the National Weather Service Newport /Morehead City office.

The risk of rip currents on Tuesday is low for all area beaches along the Outer Banks.

As of 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Tropical Storm Henri was located about 130 miles SSE of Bermuda and was moving toward the west-southwest near 5 mph (7 km/h). A turn toward the west is expected by tonight, followed by a motion to the northwest by late Thursday. On the forecast track, the center of Henri should pass well to the south of Bermuda later today and tonight.

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is possible during the next day or so. Henri remains a small tropical cyclone, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center.

Folks can stay informed on rip current and weather threats by signing by for the OBXAlerts system from Dare County, which provides both emergency and routine alerts for the Outer Banks. Anyone can sign up for OBXAlerts via this link, and can select the alerts and notifications they wish to receive.

For more information on the local forecast, visit www.weather.gov/mhx for weather information, or visit the National Weather Service office in Newport / Morehead City’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/NWSMoreheadCity/.