The National Weather Service warned of potential floods throughout the greater New York City region as rains continue to blanket the area through Saturday night.
The agency issued a flood watch on Saturday morning for New York City, northeastern New Jersey, southern Connecticut and parts of Westchester and Long Island. Meteorologists said residents could expect runoff to cause flooding in low-lying and flood-prone areas across all three states, especially in urban places with poor drainage.
National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Radell said the biggest threats over the weekend are dangerous conditions on the roads in and around the city.
“Be alert for pounding of water on the roads and things like that or for road closures, should impacts become a little bit greater,” he said.
NWS issues flood watches when trouble on the roads and in low-lying areas is likely, but not confirmed. Flood warnings, in contrast, happen when threats to life and property are imminent. Radell said those warnings often trigger the familiar and noisy notifications to people's phones.
The agency said the affected area could get between 2 and 3 inches of rain through midnight Saturday. Some parts of the region could see up to 4 inches.
The threat of rain and flooding should wane when a cold front finishes passing through the region, according to the NWS.
