Heavy Rains Head Toward East Coast, Bringing Threat of Flooding to New York

New York Times

4 days ago

A large swath of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast was under threat of flash flooding on Monday as a sluggish storm moved east, unleashing showers and thunderstorms from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast.
Forecasters said the system's slow speed and the presence of unusually hot and humid air were contributing to the high flood risk, particularly along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to northern New Jersey.
'The concern is one storm will follow another, after another, and multiple rounds over areas that can't handle that much rain, all falling in a short amount of time,' said Joseph Wegman, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.
The heaviest rainfall and the most widespread thunderstorms are expected to develop from Northern Virginia through southern New England in the afternoon. The Weather Prediction Center has issued a 'moderate' (Level 3 out of 4) risk for flash flooding in that corridor through Tuesday morning.
Rainfall rates could reach two to three inches per hour in some areas, with widespread totals of two to four inches and isolated areas nearing six inches.
In the New York City area, the National Weather Service warned of 'scattered instances of flash flooding," and issued a Level 2 out of 4 risk for flash flooding on Monday. The highest threat for flooding was in New Jersey, just west of the Hudson River. In some parts of the region, up to three inches of rainfall per hour was possible. Mr. Wegman said any storms in the city would most likely come later in the evening, between 7 and 9 p.m.
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