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A satellite image of hurricane "Henri"
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The tropical storm "Henri" was upgraded to a hurricane on the way to the east coast of the USA.
The US hurricane center NHC reported wind speeds of almost 120 kilometers per hour with even stronger gusts on Saturday.
According to meteorologists, the storm will reach the US east coast on Sunday and hit land in Long Island or in southern New England.
Although the storm could ease again slightly before reaching the coast, "Henri" will hit land with or almost with hurricane force, said the NHC.
The weather services warn of dangerous gusts of wind, storm surges, heavy rain and floods.
Authorities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont have already called on people to prepare for the storm.
In Massachusetts, parks and beaches are said to be closed until Monday.
The power supply for up to 300,000 people could fail there, according to the authorities.
New York declares a state of emergency in parts of the state
Heavy rains are expected for New York and neighboring New England.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for parts of the US state because of the hurricane.
These included the city of New York, Long Island and a few other areas.
In the USA, a state of emergency is often declared out of caution, as this means that responsibilities are shifted from the federal government to regional authorities.
It would be the first hurricane to hit the area directly in 30 years.
In 1991, Hurricane Bob killed 17 people there.
The last hurricane warning for New York was issued in August 2011 when hurricane "Irene" occurred.
A year later, tropical storm "Sandy" caused great damage, 44 people were killed.
According to CNN, around five million people live in areas that are now under a hurricane warning.
"Grace" has reached the east coast of mainland Mexico
Mexico is also currently affected by a hurricane.
After passing through the Mexican Yucatán peninsula, "Grace" reached the east coast of the mainland early Saturday (local time).
The US hurricane center in Miami issued a warning for the area from the city of Veracruz in the state of the same name to Cabo Rojo in the north of the state, according to the latest situation report.
For the whole weekend, "Grace" will travel westward over the mainland with winds of up to 175 kilometers per hour and heavy rain.
The hurricane center warned of landslides and floods in addition to Veracruz in several Mexican states, including Puebla and Hidalgo.
tfb / dpa / AFP