Life-threatening flash flood threat to shift into New England after heavy rain swamps parts of Northeast
By Meteorologist Briana Waxman
(CNN) — A serious flash flood threat will shift into New England on Wednesday as an unusually strong summer storm continues to unleash torrential rain across the Northeast, where heavy rain has already triggered water rescues and widespread travel impacts.
More than 28 million people are under flood watches Wednesday from New Jersey and New York through southern New England. The greatest danger is centered on western and central Massachusetts, far southern Vermont and portions of northern Connecticut, where a Level 3 of 4 risk of flooding rain is in place.
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Repeated downpours could produce significant and potentially life-threatening flooding. Heavy rain will gradually spread into eastern Massachusetts, including Boston, later Wednesday.
Heavy rain was still falling early Wednesday from northeastern New Jersey into the Lower Hudson Valley, with multiple flash flood warnings across the region.
New York City has avoided the worst flooding so far, but it isn’t over yet. A slow-moving band of heavy rain is crossing the area Wednesday morning, and additional storms could develop during the day. Flood watches remain in effect in the area through 8 p.m. ET, with rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour still possible.
Another 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected across much of southern New England, with locally higher totals. The National Weather Service warned as much as 5 to 7 inches could fall in the Berkshires and Worcester Hills, where the mountainous terrain will help squeeze even more moisture from the atmosphere.
The storm is creeping northeast after soaking parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A widespread 1 to 3 inches fell across northeastern New Jersey and the Lower Hudson Valley by Tuesday evening. Higher totals were observed in spots, including Stewartsville in western New Jersey, which received 6 inches of rain.
Just after midnight Wednesday, flooding closed two lanes of US 1/9 in both directions near the Pulaski Skyway in Hudson County, New Jersey, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Multiple cars became stranded in floodwater on Staten Island late Tuesday night, according to the New York City Fire Department. Flooded roads, stranded vehicles and water rescues were also reported in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania on Monday and Tuesday.
The Rescue Hose & Ladder Co. fire department said it responded to Coalport in central Pennsylvania, where crews rescued three people and two dogs from a residence.
In eastern Pennsylvania, five people, including a child, had to be rescued when floodwater inundated their vehicle on a low-lying road in Reading, CNN affiliate WFMZ reported.
The flood threat isn’t over in these areas. Flood watches remain in effect through Wednesday evening across the New York City area, northeastern New Jersey, the Lower Hudson Valley, Long Island and southwestern Connecticut. Additional flash flooding is possible Wednesday because the ground is already soaked and slow-moving storms could produce rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour.
What’s ahead Wednesday for New England
Intense rain is already underway as Wednesday begins, with potential for more rounds of rain throughout the day. Rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are possible through late morning or early afternoon. Widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches are likely.
The National Weather Service warned of a “significant risk for potentially life-threatening flash flooding” in the Berkshires, Worcester Hills and urban or poor drainage areas. Winds interacting with some of the higher terrain there will squeeze out additional moisture, to the tune of a possible 5 to 7 inches.
The storm’s strength on Wednesday, when it slows down and intensifies, will be more on par with a system in colder months of the year — not late July. Storms like this are usually weaker in summer because the jet stream doesn’t add as much punch to intensify them.
At the same time, the system is tapping into souped-up, moisture-rich pipelines of Atlantic and Gulf air. The amount of water vapor in this air mass will reach levels well above average, even by midsummer’s humid standards. As the low-pressure spins, its thunderstorms will refuel over the water and wrap back around as downpours into the Northeast.
Heavy rain will spread east into the Boston area later Wednesday morning and increase in coverage during the afternoon. Torrential rain could linger across central and eastern Massachusetts into Wednesday evening before gradually becoming less intense.
Showers and pockets of heavier rain could persist across southern New England on Thursday. The rain should become lighter and more scattered Friday as the storm slowly weakens.
Flash flooding is one of the deadliest weather hazards and is particularly dangerous in urban settings. Dozens were killed nearly five years ago in the Northeast when Hurricane Ida dumped 7 to 10 inches across a similar corridor as this week’s threat.
The-CNN-Wire
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Meteorologists Chris Dolce and Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
