‘Significant’ risk for the New York region as forecasters warn of flooding and high winds

USA

A major coastal storm will bring excessive rain and damaging winds of more than 50 miles per hour to New York City and nearby areas Tuesday through Wednesday, possibly causing moderate to major flooding in the region’s waterways overnight.

Here are three things to know about the storm:

In the early afternoon it starts to rain.
The heaviest rain showers start around 4 p.m
The strongest winds are expected along the coast.

Local officials are preparing.

The storm will not bring snow to New York City, where temperatures are expected to remain above freezing. And most areas that saw snow a few days ago will see it melt as this warmer, more powerful storm moves through.

The type of weather pattern at play here has historically raised concerns about flooding and flash flooding in the region, forecasters at the Weather Prediction Center wrote Tuesday morning. Rain falling on lingering snow from last weekend’s winter storm would increase the risk of flooding in those same areas. Areas downstream in river basins are also at risk of flooding.

Local authorities are preparing. In New York, the Department of Transportation has banned empty trucks and trailers on certain routes due to wind. New York City sending teams to clean up clogged drains and urged residents to do the same. Power companies scrambled their crews to respond to power outages after the storm hit.

“The risk is significant,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement, warning people to prepare for flooding.

In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy said the emergency would come into effect on Tuesday from 5 p.m.

“This storm will exacerbate the effects of the poor conditions we experienced in December and last weekend,” he said.

Governor Hochul suggested that people living in flood-prone areas — “and much of our state is in flood zones,” she added — have a go-bag ready with supplies in case they need to be evacuated.

Forecasters are calling it a “major impact event.”

Rain is expected to move into the region early Tuesday afternoon and spread across the entire metro area by mid- to late afternoon, National Weather Service forecasters for New York City said Tuesday morning.

Temperatures will slowly rise and winds will become increasingly strong, especially towards the end of the afternoon. The combination of high winds and possible flooding led forecasters to call the storm a “high impact event.”

The strongest winds are expected along the coast. A high wind warning was in effect for New York City, Long Island and the Connecticut coast from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. (These warnings are issued for potential wind speeds of 60 km/h or faster lasting at least one hour, or if the wind increases to at least 90 km/h)

Some areas could even experience wind gusts of more than 75 miles per hour, and forecasters warned people not to be outdoors. These damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines, potentially causing widespread power outages.

Excessive rainfall will most likely lead to widespread areas of flash flooding, especially Tuesday evening. Widespread moderate to major river flooding is also a threat tonight and Wednesday morning. Coastal flooding for much of Long Island and the southeastern coast of Connecticut is also likely due to high tides on Wednesday morning.

What comes next?

The storm system will move into the northeastern New York region on Wednesday, bringing isolated showers during the day and dry conditions later. Gusty winds will continue Wednesday, but will slowly diminish toward the end of the week when the next storm system arrives.

The storm, which will start on Friday and last until Saturday, is expected to be similar, with wet and extremely windy conditions. After it passes, colder weather will return, with a chance of a more winter-like storm early next week, although it’s too early to know many details about that storm.