Tropical Storm Henri is expected to become a hurricane on Saturday as it accelerates quickly up the East Coast toward southern New England.

       Henri is predicted to touch down near Long Island and southeastern New England on Sunday afternoon, with winds nearing 75 miles mph.

       NOAA/GOES/AFP via Getty Images

       This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image shows Tropical Storm Henri on the morning of Aug. 20, 2021.

       Since the coastal Northeast is very close to the sea level, these areas are prone to flooding amid storm surge, which could reach as high as 4 feet in Queens and Long Island, as well as coastal Connecticut. In Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts, the storm surge could reach 5 feet.

       MORE: Tracking a trio of tropical systems: Latest forecasts for Fred, Grace and Henri

       From Newport, Rhode Island, to Montauk, New York, wind gusts are forecast to reach up to 80 mph, and they may reach 60 mph in other coastal areas.

       Hurricane watches have been issued for eastern Long Island, parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island's coastal regions and southeast Massachusetts. Meanwhile, tropical storm watches have been issued for areas just north of New York City, including Westchester and Nassau counties.

       Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE

       People walk through a flooded section of lower Manhattan along the East River after Hurricane Irene in New York, Aug. 27, 2011.

       ABC News

       An ABC News forecast track shows Henri making landfall as a possible hurricane in southern New England in the late afternoon on Aug. 22, 2021.

       It's the first time in nearly 10 years that parts of New York have been issued a hurricane watch, according to the National Weather Service, which also noted that if Henri lands in New England as a hurricane, it'll be the first direct hurricane landfall since 1991.

       MORE: Triple weather threat causes trouble in South

       Fred, a tropical depression that passed by earlier this week, caused major flooding in parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, areas that could see another 6 to 8 inches of rain from Henri.