Breaking — From The NY Times:
The Hudson Valley was the most affected by the storm system on Sunday, with sections getting up to eight inches of rain, the National Weather Service said.
A slow-moving storm system brought heavy rain across a wide section of New York State on Sunday evening, flooding streets, prompting dozens of rescues for drivers whose vehicles were stranded on inundated roads and causing at least one death, the authorities said.
The Hudson Valley was the most affected by the storm system on Sunday, with sections of the area getting between five and eight inches of rain, the National Weather Service said.
The epicenter of the storm struck West Point, the U.S. Military Academy in Orange County, which had about eight inches of rain as of Sunday night.
Trooper Steven V. Nevel of the New York State Police described the search-and-rescue efforts on Sunday night as an “all hands on deck” endeavor, saying that several bridges had collapsed and many roads were impassable.
Trooper Nevel added that parts of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, which is typically heavily traveled, were flooded and completely washed out.
This is a developing story; the rain is continuing into the night and emergency services are being overwhelmed as they try to respond to calls and assess damage.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sunday night that there were additional “missing individuals” in Orange County, saying that in one instance a house had been swept away into a stream.
“The amount of water is extraordinary,” she said.
Mr. Neuhaus said that there had been multiple calls for water rescues in the vicinity of West Point and Highland Falls, both of which are on the western shores of the Hudson River.
The weather is having an effect farther north.
Additional rainfall and flooding were expected in the Hudson Valley overnight, prompting some towns to declare states of emergency. Mr. Skoufis said that if that prediction holds, “It’s probably going to get worse.”
In Saratoga County, near the town of Waterford, Routes 4 and 32 were flooded with up to two feet of water, Andrei Evbuoma, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Albany, said.
Portions of nearby roads in the area were impassible, he added, complicating rescue efforts.
The storm has affected other travel as well, with major disruption:
A New York City-bound Amtrak train was halted, as it approached Poughkeepsie on Sunday evening, with an Amtrak employee announcing that there had been a “complete washout of both tracks” south of the city, preventing any travel by train.
The train was put in reverse so it could travel back to Rhinecliff, N.Y., where Amtrak officials were determining what to do with the passengers.
Oliver Mackson, who lives in Poughkeepsie, said he was heading home from Yankee Stadium by train when passengers were told that the ballast had been washed out of the tracks north of the Croton-Harmon station, about 35 miles south of Poughkeepsie.
I live just outside of Albany, NY. The storm came through here with a lot of lightning and rain greater than an inch an hour initially. It tapered off but has continued. Since 3:00 pm we’ve gotten almost 2 “ of rain so far. Several days ago a pop-up local storm nearby caused a washout on a local road — but was localized enough that we heard it but didn’t get hit by it.
This is what climate change looks like — more moisture in the air, more heat to fuel storms, storms that hit harder and exceed normal expectations. One of the things I get now as a subscriber to The NY Times is warnings of severe weather forecasts for locations I specify in the alerts. This is a service that is only going to become ever more useful.
It’s also a good idea to have emergency tools handy, things like a crank radio. I especially recommend getting one that can pick up NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts. You can get models that will sound an alarm if there’s a weather emergency or other disaster headed your way.
Here are some FAQs about NOAA Weather Radio. It’s always available in the US, it updates frequently, and it can give advance warning of hazardous conditions. If you have a radio equipped to pick them up, NOAA issues alerts in an emergency that will trigger an alarm — although you will have to keep your radio connected to a power supply to use the alert feature because the radio will run the battery down as it continually scans for the alert signal. This could be a life saver in the case of a severe weather event.
See NWS — EAS for more details on how it works. There’s a list of emergency messages — if they look like something you need to keep track of, make sure you get a radio that can handle them.
The other reasons to have a crank radio handy is that they can provide light when the power goes out, and even serve to charge a cell-phone.
One more thing. If you are driving and get caught in a storm like this, DO NOT DRIVE INTO WATER ON A ROAD. It takes a surprisingly little amount to wash a car away. Turn Around — Don’t Drown.
This is a developing story — the news tomorrow is going to be devastating as the waters recede and the damage becomes apparent.
UPDATE: The Albany Times Union has more on the story, and some pictures of the flooding. WTEN warns flooding could continue into Monday, with a flood watch in effect until Tuesday.
UPDATE: The 11:00pm WTEN news report says Connecticut is now feeling the brunt of the weather system, with up to 7” of rain forecast and reports of flash flooding. For the Albany area, rain is supposed to continue through the night, heavy at times.
UPDATE 9:00 7-10-23 The weather system that hit the Hudson Valley is now moving east into New England. Flash flood warnings are being posted from the Berkshires east; check your local weather for advisories. Travel advisories are in effect in some of the areas hit hardest.
The NY Times has pictures and video. There is one fatality reported so far:
At least one person, a woman in her 30s, died in the flooding, the authorities said. Steven M. Neuhaus, the county executive in Orange County, N.Y., said on Monday that the victim had been trying to evacuate from her home while carrying a pet when she lost her footing and was swept into a ravine.
NBC News has pictures and video clips showing the storm damage.
[Governor] Hochul's office said in a statement that 13,000 utility customers in the state were without power. Many were in the Hudson Valley, which includes Orange County.
Fort Montgomery resident Kristen Dyroff O'Dell said she was outside the town, cut off from her husband and three young boys without a way in. She said the National Guard was needed to restore access.
"Our town is completely cut off from the rest of the world right now due to mudslides, sinkholes, washed away roads, flooding, brick walls crumbling and more," she said. "I’m separated from my kids right now in Monroe at a friend's house after spending five hours trying multiple ways to get to Fort Montgomery. Every route was impassable.”
At my house we’ve gotten 3” in the past 18 hours. There’s more rain in the forecast for the rest of the day. Stay safe out there, develop an emergency plan if you haven’t got one — and DO NOT DRIVE INTO WATER OVER A ROAD. Turn Around — Don’t Drown.
UPDATE: One thing I’m starting to see in news reports is this storm is being compared to the damage from hurricanes that swept through the Northeast in years past. Think about that. We are now seeing the kind of weather destruction it used to take a hurricane to produce. The climate has now shifted to a place where that’s no longer a necessary precursor.
Mark Sumner’s post about Climate crisis: Flood, fire, and ice puts it very plainly.
We’ve gotten so used to the idea that today will be a little warmer than yesterday, which was a little warmer than the day before, which was definitely warmer than the previous year … that many people have skipped straight from climate crisis denial to disassociating the disasters around us with what we’re doing to the Earth’s climate.
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A washed out road in New York. That’s the climate crisis.
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Thousands of travelers stranded at airports. That’s the climate crisis.
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Fisheries and reefs dying off the coast of Florida. That’s the climate crisis.
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Large agricultural areas being damaged in ways that may affect food pricing. That’s the climate crisis.
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And yes, record temperatures across many states are also the climate crisis.
Maybe the best thing that reporters, weather forecasters, and scientists can do right now is to stop equivocating. Drop those qualifiers of, “Well, we can’t be sure about any single weather event …” Stop temporizing to avoid saying something that might offend the most rock-headed viewer.
Of course these events are caused by the climate crisis. Everything has been for years. Everything will be for decades to come. Pretending otherwise is like saying that this weather may not have been affected by the presence of air. The climate crisis is just as ubiquitous. It’s with us every minute, everywhere, during winter and summer. It affects every action and every policy.
And it can’t be fought without embracing the all-encompassing threat it represents to every aspect of our lives, the lives of others, and the survival of creatures and ecosystems around the planet.
There’s a petition to ask President Biden to declare a climate emergency at the link to Sumner’s post. I strongly suggest people sign it.