Thursday, 2 September 2021 (YJC)_ The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency for New York City and Northeast New Jersey.
The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency for New York City and Northeast New Jersey on Wednesday night as the remnants of Hurricane Ida pummeled the region with heavy rain.
A Flash Flood Emergency is a rare declaration that exceeds a warning designation, which the weather service said it issued for the first time for the region. The expected rainfall rate was 3 to 5 inches an hour.
“This is a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now!” the warning read.
Manhattan’s Central Park got 3.10 inches of rain within one hour, from 8:51 p.m. to 9:51 p.m. local time, according to the service. Newark Airport got 6.42 inches in the three hours ending at 9:51 p.m. That’s roughly the equivalent of seven weeks of average rainfall falling in a few hours, National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Lamers said.
The flooding halted train services across the region, downed trees, and flooded streets. Video of the flooding posted on social media showed major thoroughways, airport terminals, baseball stadiums, and subway stations turned into wading pools.
Earlier, the service issued a tornado warning for Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City, which expired at 9:30 p.m. A tornado watch remained in effect across New York City until 1 a.m. It warned of potentially dangerous flying debris, flooding, and power outages and urged residents to immediately go indoors and seek shelter.
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