Flash flood threat prompts emergency declarations in New York, New Jersey
The National Weather Service posted flash flood warnings along parts of the Northeast urban corridor stretching from the Washington-Baltimore region north through Philadelphia, Wilmington, New Jersey, and into the New York City metropolitan area.
Severe thunderstorm watches were also in effect across much of the Interstate-95 corridor.
Up to 5 inches (12.7 cm) of rain was forecast in the heaviest bands of showers expected across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson River Valley, with rainfall rates that could exceed 2 inches per hour, according to a statement from Hochul.
"I am urging all New Yorkers to stay vigilant, stay informed, and use caution as we expect excessive rainfall with the potential for flash flooding," Hochul said.
New Jersey was bracing for rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches generally with localized downpours that could produce 5 to 7 inches, acting New Jersey Governor Tahesha Way said in her declaration.
She warned that the extreme rainfall could trigger landslides, rock slides and flash flooding of roadways across New Jersey, with additional hazards posed by damaging winds from thunderstorms.
"Residents should remain off the roads and indoors unless absolutely necessary," Way, the lieutenant governor, said in a statement. She is temporarily serving as the state's chief executive while Governor Phil Murphy was out of the state on vacation with his family.
The Weather Service attributed the storm threat to a cold front that was bringing a combination of unstable air mass and exceptional amounts of atmospheric moisture to the region.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Explainer: How prepared are U.S. grid operators for extreme heat this summer?
Aug 1 (Reuters) - Grid operators across the U.S. are revamping their forecasting methods, introducing reforms to power markets and streamlining interconnection processes to quickly connect more energy to the grid, as a potent combination of extreme weather and data center growth elevate power demand this summer. High temperatures and the expansion of power-hungry data centers are set to push 2025 summer power consumption to higher levels than the past four summers, federal regulators said earlier this year. Heat waves have already strained the power grid in parts of the country in recent weeks. 'Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and we are adjusting our planning for that,' said Dan Lockwood, PJM Interconnection spokesperson. Here's how grid operators are positioned to meet demand this summer, and longer-term measures they are taking to shore up the system. Heading into the summer, PJM had forecast power consumption to peak at just over 154,000 MW. The company, which is the largest grid operator in the U.S. and serves one in five Americans, said it is prepared to meet that demand, but warned that it could touch an all-time high of 166,000 MW in an extreme scenario. In that case, it would call on customers to reduce their power use in exchange for compensation. PJM has been streamlining its interconnection process to bring new power onto the grid. It has also fast-tracked projects that do not require extensive grid upgrades to connect to the system to get them online quicker. California Independent System Operator estimated it has a power surplus of 1,451 MW this summer, measured against the industry-standard, one in 10 year emergency event. That marks a reversal from three years ago, when it estimated a shortfall of 1,700 MW. CAISO has also been moving to quickly add new power to its grid, with around 25 GW added over the last five years, said Dede Subakti, vice president of system operations. Much of this has been battery storage, which helps balance supply and demand, bringing CAISO's total pool of battery storage to 11 GW. 'With all this additional capacity, we're sitting pretty good with 2025 summer,' Subakti said. However, the grid could still see shortfalls if a prolonged heat-wave affects the entire West, or if potential wildfires damage power transmission lines, CAISO said. ISO New England anticipates electricity demand will touch 24,803 MW this summer under normal weather conditions - and potentially 25,886 MW in case of extended heat waves - but expects to have adequate power to meet that. ISO-NE is one of the grid operators that is evaluating changes to its capacity auction to bolster grid reliability. This includes transitioning to a 'prompt' auction, held shortly before the power is needed, compared with the current practice of holding them three years in advance. In addition, it is looking to move to two seasonal commitment periods per year for the auction, to tackle the distinct risks that summer and winter demand pose to the grid. It intends to file an initial proposal for this new market structure with federal regulators before year end. Midcontinent Independent System Operator predicted that peak demand in its footprint could reach nearly 123 GW this summer, with roughly 138 GW of available power generation to meet that. Like other grid operators, however, it warned that extreme weather events still present a risk to the grid. MISO, which has been operating near its minimum reserve margin requirement since 2022, has also been making changes to its wholesale markets as grid risks grow, including assessing the reliability of its infrastructure on a seasonal basis. It implemented a 'reliability-based demand curve' in its latest auction, under which the price of electricity resources increases as the grid approaches its minimum requirements. MISO has added around 31 GW of nameplate power to its grid from 2020 through mid-2025, with another 10.9 GW estimated for this year. Meanwhile, nearly 11 GW of power resources have or are set to retire between 2020 through early 2026.
The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
Boy dies after being swept into drain pipe during East Coast flooding
A 13-year-old boy has died after being trapped in a storm drain during heavy rainfall and flooding on the US East Coast, officials have confirmed. The tragedy unfolded on Thursday in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people, 30 miles (48 kilometres) west of Baltimore. Children were playing in a common area when floodwaters swept the boy into the pipe, according to Doug Alexander, spokesman for the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company. People attempted to rescue him, but the water pressure was too strong, pushing him further in, Mr Alexander said. He was freed after the rain slowed, but it was too late. The National Weather Service has warned that more storms could bring flash and urban flooding to the northern mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Friday night. Parts of the Baltimore area received 2.5 to 4 inches (6 to 10 centimeters) Thursday, according to the weather service, but isolated areas received more, including 5 inches (nearly 13 centimeters) in Mount Airy and 6 inches (15 centimeters) in Joppatowne northeast of Baltimore, where people were rescued from flooded cars. A few areas in New York and New Jersey saw 3 inches (nearly 8 centimeters) or more of rain and one part of central Long Island reported more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the weather service. By Friday morning, subways and commuter rail routes in the New York area were running on normal schedules after some sections were inundated by floodwaters. The city's Department of Transportation also reported that roads and highways that had been shut down due to high water Thursday were reopened. A few dozen flights were delayed or canceled at major airports in the New York, Boston and Washington regions Friday morning, but most were running on time, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Power remained out to thousands of homes and businesses along the Eastern Seaboard on Friday morning, including nearly 5,000 in New York, 3,800 in Virginia, 2,500 in Maryland and 2,500 in Pennsylvania, according to Amtrak trains between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, were stopped Thursday evening because of high water over the tracks, but Amtrak announced a few hours later that service had been restored and water was receding from the tracks. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other local officials pleaded with people Thursday to stay off the roads and urged residents in basement apartments to move to higher locations as rain was expected to fall through Friday afternoon.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- The Independent
Boy, 13, dies after getting trapped in a storm drain during East Coast flooding
A 13-year-old boy died after he was trapped in a storm drain in Maryland during heavy rainfall and flooding on the East Coast, officials said. Kids were playing in the rain Thursday in a common area between apartment buildings in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Baltimore, but floodwaters rushed in and the boy was swept into the pipe, according to Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company spokesman Doug Alexander. People tried to rescue the boy, but the water pressure was too strong and kept pushing him further into the pipe, he said. After the rain slowed, they were able to free him, but it was too late, Alexander said. More storms might bring flash and urban flooding to the northern mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Friday night, the National Weather Service warned. Parts of the Baltimore area received 2.5 to 4 inches (6 to 10 centimeters) Thursday, according to the weather service, but isolated areas received more, including 5 inches (nearly 13 centimeters) in Mount Airy and 6 inches (15 centimeters) in Joppatowne northeast of Baltimore, where people were rescued from flooded cars. A few areas in New York and New Jersey saw 3 inches (nearly 8 centimeters) or more of rain and one part of central Long Island reported more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the weather service. By Friday morning, subways and commuter rail routes in the New York area were running on normal schedules after some sections were inundated by floodwaters. The city's Department of Transportation also reported that roads and highways that had been shut down due to high water Thursday were reopened. A few dozen flights were delayed or canceled at major airports in the New York, Boston and Washington regions Friday morning, but most were running on time, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Power remained out to thousands of homes and businesses along the Eastern Seaboard on Friday morning, including nearly 5,000 in New York, 3,800 in Virginia, 2,500 in Maryland and 2,500 in Pennsylvania, according to Amtrak trains between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, were stopped Thursday evening because of high water over the tracks, but Amtrak announced a few hours later that service had been restored and water was receding from the tracks. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other local officials pleaded with people Thursday to stay off the roads and urged residents in basement apartments to move to higher locations as rain was expected to fall through Friday afternoon.
