Flash flood warnings are in effect Sunday night across southeastern New York, including New York City, as powerful thunderstorms make their way into the region, bringing “torrential downpours,” the National Weather Service said.
A flood watch is in effect across New York City until 6 a.m. Monday morning, the city said on its website, adding that areas that were low-lying, had poor drainage or are close to creeks, streams or rivers are particularly at risk for flash flooding.
The heavy rain could rapidly flood basements and put people’s lives at risk, city officials said, and urged residents to move to higher floors.
The storms have already dumped several inches of water throughout the day across parts of the Lower Hudson Valley, flooding roadways, trapping drivers inside their cars and spilling debris across communities as emergency responders worked to make rescues.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a state of emergency for Orange County Sunday night, saying the community saw “life-threatening flooding” in just a matter of hours and storms knocked out power to 13,000 homes. Emergency responders there were conducting search and rescue efforts there, she added.
Flooding at the United States Military Academy West Point, which is in Orange County, trapped people in their cars and forced them to swim out for safety, a West Point Military Police spokesperson told CNN Sunday. It was unclear if anyone had been injured, the spokesperson said.
Sunday afternoon’s rainfall in West Point totaled more than 7.5 inches in six hours, according to preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A CNN analysis of NOAA’s historical rainfall frequency data indicates that would correspond to a 1-in-1000 year rainfall event at that location – meaning it was an event so intense, the chances of it happening in any given year is just 0.1%.
