Governor Hochul: “My team and I have been monitoring the storm trajectory all day long. And the reality we have to deal with is this is our new normal. Once again, extreme weather is back, and now we've been upgraded to the fact that we'll have a 70 percent chance of flash flooding.”
Hochul: “It is going to result in havoc throughout the Downstate region – Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley. We could have anywhere from three to five inches of rain, one inch an hour. And that may not sound like a lot, but if you are driving on a road and you start to see the water puddling on the street, you need to get off the road immediately.”
The Governor urged New Yorkers today to prepare for heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding beginning overnight Thursday and continuing through Friday night in the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Long Island regions.
The current forecast predicts a widespread two to three inches of rain and locally heavy rainfall of five inches or more is possible, with rainfall rates reaching one inch per hour. These conditions may cause flash flooding in low-lying, flood-prone areas and areas that recently experienced heavy rainfall. In the event of flash flooding, commutes would be impacted on Friday. Governor Hochul urged New Yorkers to pay close attention to the forecast and changing conditions, and her administration stands ready to respond to extreme weather impacts in affected areas.
My team and I have been monitoring the storm trajectory all day long. And the reality we have to deal with is this is our new normal. Once again, extreme weather is back, and now we've been upgraded to the fact that we'll have a 70 percent chance of flash flooding. And what that means is, the land, the ground is very saturated already from the previous rain. And so, it will not be able to absorb the rain.
It is going to result in havoc throughout the Downstate region – Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley. We could have anywhere from three to five inches of rain, one inch an hour. And that may not sound like a lot, but if you are driving on a road and you start to see the water puddling on the street, you need to get off the road immediately.
It could be dangerous. We've had circumstances as recently as this summer where vehicles were swept away. And also in our homes, we've had literally houses washed away. So I just wanted people to know we're preparing. Our state watch center is monitoring the weather. Thruway Authority and DOT, we already have 2,000 pieces of equipment and staff ready to go.
And utility workers, if the power lines come down, as often happens during these events, we'll have over 5,500 utility workers ready. And the MTA and Port Authority are ready throughout the system to target the at-risk stations. And so, that's what's going on right now. Again, we're getting used to the rain, but this could quickly morph into a life threatening, dangerous event, and I wanted to prepare New Yorkers for that possibility.
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