Flood warning issued as rain will smack Hudson Valley with Tropical Storm Debby remnants

Lower Hudson Valley communities are preparing for more heavy rain and flooding as tropical storm Debby makes its way up the coast.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Lower Hudson Valley from 2 p.m. Tuesday to noon Wednesday. The agency said it expects around 1 to 2 inches of rainfall between Tuesday and Wednesday and a potential for flash flooding in low-lying coastal areas. Excess runoff could also contribute to widespread flooding of rivers, streams and other flood-prone areas.

“All the weather reports show that we’re going to have some very severe thunder showers that are ahead of us," Westchester County Executive George Latimer said at a Tuesday news conference, adding: "The most important thing to understand is, whatever it looks like outside of the window right now, it is going to get worse — you need to prepare for that."

Susan Spear, county Department of Emergency Services deputy commissioner, said, "This is one with the potential to be very strong," with "1 to 2 or even 3 inches of rain per hour this afternoon and into the evening.”

Spear said there will be more 9-1-1 dispatchers on staff, more law enforcement road patrols, public works personnel monitoring road conditions, and the emergency operations center is ready, and water rescue teams are prepared.

A State Police team and a Department of Environmental Conservation rescue team are being sent to Westchester, to support the county teams, Spear said.

Hugh Greechan, county Department of Public Works commissioner, said, “We expect some heavy rainfalls around 5 o’clock, which is rush hour. So if you have a chance to leave work a little bit early, you know, I would do so.”

County officials urged people to:

• Stay off the roads if possible, especially the ones you know flood the most quickly.
• Prepare for power outages— charge phones now and have flashlights and extra batteries ready; have sufficient water, food and medications ready.

The National Weather Service says a major rain event could last until Saturday evening, as remnants of what was once Hurricane Debby are headed north towards New York.

Where is Hurricane Debby and will parts of it hit New York?

Debby made landfall Monday morning in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane and weakened to a tropical storm later that day. The storm has caused damage across much of the Southeast , including in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and has killed four people in Florida. The NOAA says Debby could produce potentially historic rainfall totals around 10 to 20 inches in these areas and make its way towards Maryland, Virginia and Delaware around Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday morning started partly sunny with an expected high of 85 degrees during the day, but thunderstorms and heavy rain is expected around 2 p.m. and is likely to last through Wednesday night. Wednesday's high temperature is expected to reach 70 degrees and dip to around 62 overnight after the rain slows.

A break in the rain could appear Thursday morning, but conditions are expected to remain cloudy throughout the day. By noon Thursday, showers may start up again and could turn into a thunderstorm in the evening.

Friday and Saturday are also expected to be a wash, according to the National Weather Service, with showers likely and thunderstorms possible both days. By Saturday night, the clouds should part for a sunny and warm Sunday. The high temperature Sunday is expected to be in the high 70s and low 80s, while Sunday night should cool to around 62 degrees.

Communities in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam experienced major flooding and widespread power outages Saturday after the region was hit with a major storm. White Plains had 1.22 inches of rain. Parts of Westchester and Rockland had an inch to 1.5 inches.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Flood warning issued as rain will smack Hudson Valley with Tropical Storm Debby remnants