The National Hurricane Center on Friday morning issued a storm surge watch for the entire Connecticut coastline, plus much of Long Island, Rhode Island and Cape Cod.

Additionally, the center issued a tropical storm watch for the parts of Connecticut’s coast west of New Haven and a hurricane watch for the coastline east of New Haven, including the New London area.

The storm, currently located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Southeastern United States, is forecast to become a hurricane by Saturday and reach Connecticut by Sunday, causing significant rainfall and potential flooding.

The National Hurricane Center projects that Henri could “cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.”

Is the state ready?

As Henri has traveled up the East Coast, Eversource said it is prepared to respond to potential impacts but still faces significant uncertainty.

“We have been closely watching multiple storm forecasts for several days, and we’re actively engaged in our emergency response preparedness efforts so that, if necessary, we’re ready to respond and quickly restore power for our customers,” Eversource President of Regional Electric Operations Craig Hallstrom said Thursday. “There’s still some uncertainty across multiple models that we follow, and we’re preparing based on the current forecast. One of the biggest challenges for storms like Henri is that changes in the storm track can significantly alter potential impacts.”

The Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security tweeted Friday morning that it “is working with [its] partners to monitor & prepare for impacts from Tropical Storm Henri.” The agency recommended that residents in affected areas prepare and review emergency plans.

What happened in Connecticut on Thursday?

Connecticut’s northern counties, which are forecast for a less direct impact from Henri than the coastal region, experienced heavy rainfall and flooding Thursday as a result of Tropical Storm Fred, which sent water levels rising and garbage cans floating across the Hartford area. In the state’s northeastern corner, a tornado touched down in the small town of Thompson.

In Hartford County, South Windsor received the most showers, totaling around 5.3 inches around 9:30 a.m., with parts of West Hartford following closely behind with 5.12 inches around 8 a.m.

Avon and Bristol both recorded over 4 inches of rain as towns like East Granby and Burlington saw around 2 inches, the National Weather Service reported.

Tolland County recorded a max of 2.04 inches of rainfall in Vernon-Rockville with even lower numbers in Windham County who had around 1.27 inches of showers.

What’s up with the weather this summer?

Connecticut has had an eventful summer of weather, with several heat waves, a wave of storms in mid-July and now a potential hurricane.

Joe Furey, co-chief meteorologist for WTNH News 8, warned in July about the impact of so much rain.

“We’re going into the height of the tropical season and we can’t handle any more water,” Furey said. “We’re setting ourselves up for extreme, catastrophic flooding in parts of the state if these tropical systems, or remnants thereof, come and get us as we head through later August and into September.”

Experts say extreme weather events are likely to become more common in Connecticut due to the effects of climate change.