Storm Henri has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane, and is bearing down on Long Island, New York, and southern New England.
It is expected to make landfall on Sunday, say forecasters.
The upgrade in status was released by the National Hurricane Center, who put out a warning of heavy rain, wind and flooding.
Henri was travelling further westwards than was originally expected, and looked on track to hit eastern Long Island. New York hasn’t had a direct hit from a major hurricane since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
On Saturday morning, the storm was producing sustained 70mph (113kph), winds. Meteorologists have predicted that the storm will become a hurricane before it makes landfall on Sunday.
Both Long Island and Connecticut have been placed under a Hurricane warning ahead of the storm’s arrival. New York City and southern New York State are under a tropical storm warning, and Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a State of Emergency.
