New York City got lucky Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, as the heavy rain that was forecast mostly stayed to the west and south. But more soggy weather could be ahead.
According to the National Weather Service, the scary 5-to-7-inch rain totals that were projected did not materialize over the five boroughs. Staten Island got hit the hardest, with some neighborhoods reporting up to 3 inches of rainfall within an hour or two.
“It was really kind of a feast or famine event,” meteorologist Dominic Ramunni said.
The worst of the storms hit outside the city, with more than 5 inches of rain in places like Essex County in northeastern New Jersey and parts of Westchester. Ramunni said the significant flash flooding led to reports of water rescues from stranded vehicles in those areas.
Meanwhile, Central Park barely got an inch of rain, according to the NWS. The agency canceled their flood watch for the city and northeastern New Jersey early Wednesday.
“ Fortunately, at this point, it looks like the flood threat has largely passed for the city,” Ramunni said.
The skies won’t dry out immediately, though.
“It’s still not a bad idea to keep that umbrella handy as we go through today [Wednesday], and likely even into tomorrow afternoon as well, with the system still lingering across the northeast over the next 24 to 36 hours,” Ramunni said, adding that showers and even a thunderstorm could still roll through.
The wet weather will keep temperatures cooler than normal for Wednesday and Thursday, with highs in the upper 70s.
Conditions look drier for Friday and Saturday, with temperatures climbing back up into the 80s.
