A Rhode Island man was served a painful reminder of how dangerous tropical storm conditions can be.

John Gonsalves, of Providence, was taking photos of the ocean in Narragansett as Tropical Storm Henri approached southern New England late Sunday morning when things took a bad turn.

Gonsalves was taking cover near a light pole when what appeared to be an electrical box was blown by a strong gust of wind and struck him in the head. The blow to the head sent him falling backward and he landed on the pavement.

"I tried to take cover behind there just to get some photos and a gust must have just taken me out," Gonsalves said. "I took a header, but I think I'm alright."

Gonsalves had some scratches around his left knee but was otherwise OK.

"Yeah, I took a tumble, but I made it," he said. "I think it's time to pack it up for me. ... I think 10 minutes is enough for me. I'm going to tap out."

Earlier in the day, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee urged Ocean State residents to stay home until Tropical Storm Henri passed.

McKee also issued a ban on motorcycles and tractor-trailers from state roadways, except those carrying emergency supplies, starting at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Henri made landfall as a tropical storm Sunday afternoon near Westerly, Rhode Island, the National Hurricane Center reports.

According to the NHC, the storm reached southern New England Sunday afternoon around 12:15 p.m. ET, packing maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.

Portions of Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts have been experiencing tropical storm conditions throughout the morning on Sunday. According to PowerOutage.us, there were about 100,000 customers without power in Rhode Island and Connecticut as of about 12:45 p.m. ET.

The NHC projects that in the coming hours, the storm will continue to move northward into Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine before moving eastward and back out to sea.

The NHC also says that southeast New York and northern New Jersey could be in for "considerable" flash and urban flooding, as well as small stream and river flooding throughout the weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in parts of the state in Henri's path and urged those in the state to take hurricane warnings seriously.

Across the East Coast, Henri will cause beaches and ocean ports to experience dangerous swells and significant rip tide currents.

At a press conference on Sunday, President Joe Biden urged New Englanders to remain vigilant and follow the guidance of local leaders. He also added that he had declared disaster declarations in Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. He also encouraged Americans to wear masks and social distance if possible amid evacuations and encouraged other Americans to seek out vaccines in advance of potential natural disasters later this year.

Henri is poised to become one of the most powerful storms to make landfall in New England in 30 years. In 1991, Hurricane Bob made landfall in the area, where the AP says it killed 17 people and caused $1.5 billion in damage.

Parts of the Northeast could begin to experience impacts from Tropical Storm Henri as soon as late Saturday, as the system that is expected to become a hurricane by the end of the day barrels toward the region.

Storm surge and the tide could cause high water in coastal New England as Henri moves inland, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. Heavy rain and wind may also produce flooding.

Henri was centered Saturday morning about 195 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and about 555 miles south of Montauk Point, New York. It was a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds at 70 mph, and was moving north-northeast at 12 mph.

Forecasters said Henri was expected to become a hurricane Saturday. It was expected to be at or near hurricane strength when it made landfall, which the hurricane center said could be in New York's Long Island or southern New England.

If it made a direct hit on New England, it would be the first hurricane to do so in the region since Hurricane Bob in 1991, a Category 2 storm that killed at least 17 people.

The hurricane center storm surge between 3 and 5 feet was possible with Henri from Flushing, New York, to Chatham, Massachusetts; and for parts of the North Shore and South Shore of Long Island.

Rainfall between 3 to 6 inches was expected Sunday through Monday over the Northeast.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday urged people vacationing on the Cape to leave well before Henri hits, and those who planned to start vacations there to delay their plans. “We don't want people to be stuck in traffic on the Cape Cod bridges when the storm is in full force on Sunday,” he said.

Baker said up to 1,000 National Guard troops were on standby to help with evacuations if needed.

“This storm is extremely worrisome,” said Michael Finkelstein, police chief and emergency management director in East Lyme, Connecticut. “We haven’t been down this road in quite a while and there’s no doubt that we and the rest of New England would have some real difficulties with a direct hit from a hurricane.”

Finkelstein said he’s most concerned about low-lying areas of town that could become impossible to access because of flooding and a storm surge.

Large swaths of the Eastern seaboard were mopping up on Friday from the effects of Henri's predecessor, Tropical Depression Fred. In North Carolina, Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher said four people died and five individuals remained unaccounted for, down from around 20 people reported missing on Thursday.

The weather service warned of the potential for damaging winds and widespread coastal flooding from Henri, and officials in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York cautioned that people could lose power for a week or even longer. Authorities urged people to secure their boats, fuel up their vehicles and stock up on canned goods.

Video below: Mariners secure boats on Cape Cod ahead of Henri

At Safe Harbor Marina in coastal Plymouth, Massachusetts, Steve Berlo was among the many boaters having their vessels pulled out of the water ahead of the storm.

“It’s rare, but when it happens, you want to be sure you’re ready,” said Berlo, 54. “Got to protect our second home. So that’s that. Now I can sleep tonight.”

In the Hamptons, the celebrity playground on Long Island’s east end, officials warned of dangerous rip currents and flooding that’s likely to turn streets, like mansion-lined Dune Road on the Atlantic coast, into lagoons.

Ryan Murphy, the emergency management administrator for the Town of Southampton, said that while the storm’s track continues to evolve, “we have to plan as if it’s going to be like a Category 1 hurricane that would be hitting us.”

The National Weather Service also warned residents and beachgoers on the North Carolina coast of rip currents and rough surf associated with Henri. Meteorologist Steven Pfaff of the weather service’s Wilmington office said swells from Henri were expected to create hazardous surf conditions beginning Friday and continuing on Saturday.

At the U.S. Navy’s submarine base in Groton, Connecticut, personnel on Friday were securing submarine moorings, installing flood gates in front of doors on some waterfront buildings, and doubling up lines on small boats, officials said. Families were being encouraged to watch the forecast and make any necessary preparations.

The Coast Guard urged boaters to stay off the water, saying in a statement: “The Coast Guard’s search and rescue capabilities degrade as storm conditions strengthen. This means help could be delayed.”

At the Port Niantic marina in Niantic, Connecticut, Debbie Shelburn and her employees were already busy Friday hauling boats out of the water and into a large storage building.

“Basically, it’s become all hands on deck. No matter your position — mechanic, whatever — everybody is out there helping with the logistics of moving the boats and getting them secure on land,” she said.

Video below: New Hampshire emergency management, U.S. Coast Guard monitoring storm