New York City, most of New Jersey and surrounding areas under a flood watch Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning, with forecasters warning of heavy rainfall and life-threatening rip currents at area beaches.
Isolated thunderstorms could start as early as Tuesday morning, but rains are expected to pick up in the afternoon and overnight into Wednesday. Most areas should see about 1 to 2 inches of rain, but some localized spots could see three to five times as much, National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki said.
“We’re not saying it’s the worst one we’ve ever had, but it’s certainly something we want people to be aware of and be prepared for that,” Ciemnecki said. “Areas that do start getting into heavy rain, there will become problems if it rains long enough.”
New York City Emergency Management said in a travel advisory issued Tuesday that flash flooding of roadways and properties could occur, and underground infrastructure such as basements could be at risk as well.
Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph could down trees and cause power outages, the city warned.
The NWS said anyone visiting area beaches should stay out of the surf.
“Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water,” it warned in an alert.
At least six people have drowned this year at city beaches. In one incident, a man was pulled by rip currents from a beach in Queens, treaded water for five hours and rescued by fishermen two miles off the shore of Sandy Hook in New Jersey. Anyone caught in a rip current should relax and float, and avoid swimming against the current, and swim in a direction following the shoreline if possible, the NWS advises.
Ciemnecki said forecasters have “fairly high confidence” heavy rain will develop Tuesday, but “where we have a little less uncertainty is exactly where that will be.
“And sometimes we don’t know where that will be until … right before,” he said.
Heavy rains could continue through the weekend as tropical storm Debby — which reached Florida’s gulf coast early Monday as a hurricane — moves north, he warned.
Overall, the New York area should expect a muggy day, with temperatures in the 80s, he said.
This is a developing story and may be updated.