Hurricane watch issued as Tropical Storm Henri tracks toward New England

Forecasters issued a hurricane watch Friday morning for Tropical Storm Henri ahead of its projected track toward the southern New England coast.

Henri was expected to intensify into a hurricane by Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in advisory. Impacts could be felt in New England states by Sunday.

Friday evening, the system was centered in the Atlantic Ocean about 290 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and about 695 miles south of Montauk, New York. It had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.

LINK: Henri maps & models on MyFoxHurricane.com

The hurricane watch stretched across the South Shore of Long Island from Fire Island Inlet to Montauk, and the North Shore from Port Jefferson Harbor to Montauk. It also covered the coast from New Haven, Connecticut, to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts; and Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Block Island.

The main threats were expected to be storm surge, wind and rain, forecasters said. Storm surge between 3 and 5 feet was possible from Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Sagamore Beach.

Rainfall between 2 to 5 inches was expected Sunday through Monday over the region.

Henri was heading west early Friday but forecasters expect it to make a turn toward the north and approach the New England coast.