Tropical Storm Philippe Prompts Flash Flood Warnings For New York Tri-State Area

Torrential rains and high-speed winds wreaked havoc in the New York Tri-State Area on the five-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy even as tropical storm Phillpe dissipated late Sunday night.

According to reports, a flash flood warning was issued for Ulster and Greene counties upstate as well as Dutchess County and parts of Connecticut. NBC affiliate WNBC reported that a large part of the tri-state was under a high wind warning until Monday. The areas included New York City and its inner suburbs, Long Island, Connecticut and parts of the Hudson Valley.

Citing the National Weather Service, the report also said the city and surrounding suburbs could see winds of at least 40 mph with gusts over 50 mph, especially on Long Island. The flash flood watch for the area was expected to last till 6 a.m. on Monday.

Remnants of the storm which dissipated Sunday night merged with a low-pressure system coming from the Great Lakes region. According to WNBC, many parts of the tri-state area were under some kind of severe weather advisory amid the threat of flash floods. Most of the flood warnings in the tri-state had expired by 2 a.m. on Monday.

A CBS report said the heavy rain caused flash floods across the area and closed down some roads including the Bronx River Parkway from White Plains to Yonkers.

According to utility companies, 180,000 customers in Connecticut, 138,000 customers in Rhode Island, more than 184,000 customers in Massachusetts, and 96,000 customers in New Hampshire were struggling with electricity following the rain. Tens of thousands of customers each in states like Maine, Vermont New Jersey, and New York were also affected, CNN reported.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo activated the New York State Emergency Operations Center Sunday and asked all state agencies to take precautionary measures and deploy resources as needed.

“At my direction, the Emergency Operations Center is activated and personnel are at the ready to help New Yorkers impacted by these adverse weather conditions. I urge everyone to take caution, avoid driving, and remain indoors if possible,” Cuomo said in a news release, reported by multiple networks.

There were similar scenes across hard-hit Newark with water flooding the streets and curtailing the mobility of vehicles. Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose advised that many streets were expected to be flooded, and warned that drivers could end up stranded.

A drop in rainfall was noticed by least two-three inches across the region, with some areas seeing more than that. By Sunday night, WNBC reported more than three inches of rain was seen in Newark and it rained at the rate of one inch per hour in parts of New Jersey.

Islip alone saw nearly four inches of rain in the tri-state area. The U.S. Central Park and LaGuardia saw nearly three inches of rain while Bridgeport, Connecticut saw less than three inches.

CNN predicted the storm Philippe would move into the western Atlantic Ocean by Monday afternoon.

The severe weather threat comes five years to the day Sandy made landfall in New Jersey causing a damaging effect on the tri-state area, leaving dozens dead and with billions of dollars in damage.