N.Y. weather: Severe thunderstorm watch, flood watch issued for NYC - silive.com

A National Weather Service graphic shows expected rainfall amounts for New York City on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of the National Weather Service)(Courtesy of the National Weathe

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A severe thunderstorm watch and a flood watch have been issued for all of New York City, including Staten Island.

The severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 9 p.m. Saturday. Severe thunderstorms have the potential to bring strong winds, heavy rain and hail. The strong winds could cause power outages, flying debris or turn unsecured objects into projectiles, according to the city’s Notify NYC alert system.

Meanwhile, the flood watch is in effect until midnight. Heavy rain of 1 to 2 inches is possible and may cause flooding on highways, streets, underpasses, and poor drainage or low-lying spots, according to Notify NYC.

“It looks likes the main threat with any of the storms will be flooding downpours,” Scott Homan, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist, told the Advance/SILive.com earlier Saturday.

While these storms are slated to pack the typical gusty winds that accompany thunderstorms, the primary concern is the excessive rainfall, Homan said.

Rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour will be possible, according to AccuWeather, and combined with the potential of multiple rounds of storms, flash flooding will be possible.

If residents are in a basement, they should be prepared to move to a higher floor during periods of heavy rain, according to Notify NYC. They also should not walk or drive a vehicle into areas where water covers the roadway as it may be too deep to allow them to cross safely.

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Residents are reminded to charge their cell phones, gather supplies, and turn their refrigerators and freezers to a colder setting in the event of an outage, according to Notify NYC.

If there is an outage, residents should stay clear of downed power lines, turn off all appliances, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to prevent food spoilage, and never use generators indoors.

If you lose power and have a disability, access and functional needs, or use life-sustaining equipment and need immediate assistance, call 911.

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