Flash flooding hits Northeast after record two-day rains
Two days of heavy rain across the Northeast triggered dangerous flash flooding, set rainfall records, and forced water rescues from New Jersey through eastern New York and New England. At least one child died in New Jersey, airports canceled hundreds of flights, and communities now face cleanup as more weekend rain threatens saturated ground.
Key Takeaways
- Albany logged about 6.7 inches since Tuesday, its biggest two-day rainfall on record, while Schodack, New York, saw nearly 12 inches.
- Flash flooding prompted states of emergency, boat rescues, and dozens of road closures across eastern New York.
- In New Jersey, a 10-year-old boy died after being swept into the Passaic River; a search continued for a 10-year-old girl.
- Meteorologists warn saturated soils raise the risk of more flooding if heavy rain returns Sunday into Monday.
According to CNN, slow-moving storms first soaked New Jersey and Pennsylvania on Tuesday, then fueled dangerous flooding in eastern New York on Wednesday as rain continued into New England. Scattered showers lingered overnight as the system weakened and began to exit the region.
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Where did flash flooding hit hardest?
Eastern New York bore the brunt Wednesday. Multiple counties declared states of emergency, and state swiftwater teams conducted boat rescues, officials told CNN. Rainfall topped 7 inches in several areas. Schodack recorded nearly 12 inches—more than twice a typical July total—while Albany International Airport measured roughly 6.7 inches across the two-day event.
Video from CNN affiliate WRGB showed cars stranded in Guilderland floodwater. In Chatham, firefighters rescued a US Postal Service mail carrier whose vehicle got stuck. Nearly two dozen roads closed in Columbia County, and responders helped two adults and two children evacuate flooded homes in Coeymans. A day earlier, 20 people were rescued from floodwater in Paterson, New Jersey, and crews in Coalport, Pennsylvania, rescued three people and two dogs.
What travel and power disruptions followed the storm?
More than 200 flights were canceled Wednesday at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark, according to FlightAware data cited by CNN. Boston Logan had more than 70 cancellations and hundreds of delays. Amtrak canceled New York City–Albany service Wednesday due to high water and debris on tracks, then resumed a normal schedule Thursday, the Times Union reported via Yahoo.
By Thursday morning, National Grid said about 1,500 customers remained without power, mainly in southern Rensselaer County, Bethlehem, and parts of southern Albany County. Sections of Route 9J in Schodack stayed closed, and Route 143 in Coeymans was shut while crews rebuilt a damaged culvert. Red Cross shelters opened in Albany and Greenville for people displaced by flooding.
Could more weekend rain renew flood risks?
National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Villani said Capital District flooding had largely eased Thursday, though southern areas such as Columbia County and eastern Greene County still had water. Light Thursday rain was not expected to cause major flooding. He warned that heavy rain lasting half a day to a day Sunday into Monday could be enough to flood again because “the grounds are already saturated.”
CNN said a Level 1 of 4 risk of isolated flooding rain remained Thursday from Boston to coastal Maine for lingering heavier pockets. Albany’s Wednesday total of 5.45 inches was its second-wettest calendar day on record, behind only Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999, Villani said—underscoring why flash flooding moved so quickly through already soaked neighborhoods.