Major Flood In NYC; Storm Brings Brief Interruption To Long Dry Spell In Southern Vermont, North Stays Dry

A small area of the Northeast, especially in
red on this map, is subject to flash flooding
today. Unfortunately, it's in the most
densely populated area of the nation, so
the flooding effects will be amplified. 

 UPDATE 12:30 PM FRIDAY

That "weird" storm I described this morning, (see previous discussion below) is really over-performing and causing havoc in the New York City region.

News reports and social media show widespread, serious flooding in that area.  Traffic is at a standstill, and probably thousands of buildings by now have suffered flood damage. 

Terminal A at LaGuardia Airport at last report was entirely flooded and closed. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams have declared a state of emergency for the city.

Some areas around Brooklyn and Queens had received up to seven inches of rain this morning.  Another few inches seem likely this afternoon, which will worsen the already extreme flooding. 

Central Park received just a tad under two inches of rain in just one hour this morning. 

The flash flooding is extending up the Hudson River Valley and into New Jersey and Connecticut. 

Even though not a huge area of the nation is affected, the flood zone is so densely populated that I expect this will be yet another $1 billion plus weather disaster for the U.S.

Since the storm is overperforming, it's thrown rain as far north as central Vermont.  The rain is light and won't cause any issues here. The moisture is running into a buzzsaw of very dry air from Quebec. Recent radar trends show the northward progress of the rain stopping a little north of Route 4 because of that dry air. 

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION

A weird storm is affecting parts of the Northeast, and much like Tropical Storm Ophelia last week, we in Vermont will stay on its northern fringes.  

This new storm is not a tropical system, but it is a wet one.  The bullseye is the New York City area and surrounding areas, including much of Connecticut and New Jersey. 

Already, flash flood warnings were up early this morning in parts of the NYC metro area, and that will continue much of the day. Some areas could get up to five inches of rain. 

Only a relatively small area is under the gun for flash flooding today, but it happens to be pretty much the most populated area of the nation. So the impacts will be pretty major. 

Some of the moisture from this storm is extending into Vermont. It will make for a rainy day in the two southernmost counties of the state. 

But it will just be a rather cloudy day north of Route 4. There could be a brief sprinkle or two as far north as Montpelier and Burlington, but it won't be enough to stop outdoor activity

So this is an interruption to our long stretch of sunny weather, but won't end this long rain-free period north of Route 2.

The clouds and rain today in places like Bennington and Brattleboro will make for a much cooler day than we've had. Highs down there will probably barely make it to 60 degrees. The further north you go, the warmer it will get.  Low elevations near the Canadian border have a good shot at 70 degrees again today. 

The big high pressure system that had stalled over Quebec and given us our long stretch of sunny, hazy, mild weather will actually strengthen after the storm off the coast departs. It will also turn warmer.  

In the opening days of October next week, highs on some days could reach 80 degrees. That's pretty close to record highs this time of year, so we'll have to keep an eye on that. Like on many days this past week, the sky will look hazy at times due to that ever-present smoke from Canadian wildfires.