Sharjah24 – AFP: A swath of the US East Coast, including New York City, was under alert Saturday, as storm Henri was upgraded to what could be the first hurricane in 30 years to hit New England.

Forecasters warned of violent winds, heavy rainfall, the risk of flash floods and surging seas as the storm churned in the Atlantic, packing maximum sustained winds near 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour.

Nasty weather that preceded Henri forced New York City to halt its star-studded Central Park concert that was billed as a "homecoming" for a metropolis hard hit by the pandemic.

The approaching hurricane had prompted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to announce a state of emergency and the deployment of 500 National Guard soldiers in anticipation of response efforts.

Henri was anticipated to miss New York City by miles, but it could still cause tropical storm conditions beginning Saturday night.