NYC, NJ slated for flash floods, dangerous rip currents Tuesday and Wednesday

New York City, most of New Jersey and surrounding areas are under a flood watch Tuesday through Wednesday morning, with forecasters warning of heavy rainfall and life-threatening rip currents at area beaches.

Rain could come down as quickly as 1 to 2 inches per hour, the National Weather Service warned.

"With flash flooding, conditions change so rapidly, and you could end up in a vehicle where just a small amount of rain can turn your vehicle into a boat, and you are washed away," Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a briefing about the storm Tuesday morning. "That is the tragedy that happens in these storms when people are just going about their everyday lives and not taking extreme precautions."

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Emergency management alerts: New York City’s Emergency Management agency encourages New Yorkers to subscribe to Notify NYC. New Jersey residents can check ready.nj.gov.

Weather forecasts: Updates are available on the National Weather Service’s website.

Transit and traffic: Check the 511 websites for New York and New Jersey. MTA service alerts can be found here. See alerts for the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and NJ Transit.

Power and utility outages:

• To report power outages, downed power lines or damaged electric equipment, residents of New York City and Westchester can call Con Edison’s 24-hour hotline at 800-75-CONED (752-6633) or report an outage online on Con Edison's website. The Con Edison outage map is here.
• National Grid outages can be reported here or at 800-867-5222. National Grid’s outage map is here.
• PSE&G Long Island’s outages can be reported here, by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454) or by calling 800-490-0075. PSEG Long Island’s outage map is here.
• PSE&G outages in New Jersey can be reported here, through the PSE&G app, by texting “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734) or by calling 800-436-PSEG (7734). PSE&G’s outage map is here.
• JCP&L outages in New Jersey can be reported here, by texting “OUT to 544487 or by calling 888-LIGHTSS (888-544-4877). JCP&L’s outage map is here.

Anyone who loses power and has a disability or needs immediate life-saving care should call 911.

“We're not saying it's the worst one we've ever had, but it's certainly something we want people to be aware of and be prepared for that,” National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki said. “Areas that do start getting into heavy rain, there will become problems if it rains long enough.”

Jackie Bray, the state homeland security commissioner, said Tuesday that there was a 40% to 70% chance of flash flooding from Nassau County up to Rockland County, including all of New York City, over the coming day.

"When we have seen this level of threat before in New York state, they have been bad days," she said.

New York City Emergency Management said in a travel advisory issued Tuesday that flash flooding of roadways and properties could occur, and underground infrastructure such as basements could be at risk as well.

Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph could down trees and cause power outages, the city warned.

The NWS said anyone visiting area beaches should stay out of the surf.

“Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water,” it warned in an alert.

At least six people have drowned at city beaches this year. In one incident, a man was pulled by rip currents from a beach in Queens, treaded water for five hours and rescued by fishermen 2 miles offshore from Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Anyone caught in a rip current should relax and float, and avoid swimming against the current, and swim in a direction following the shoreline if possible, the NWS advises.

Ciemnecki said forecasters have “fairly high confidence” heavy rain will develop Tuesday, but “where we have a little less uncertainty is exactly where that will be.

“And sometimes we don't know where that will be until … right before,” he said.

Overall, the New York area should expect a muggy day Tuesday, with temperatures in the 80s, he said.

Tropical storm Debby — which reached Florida’s gulf coast early Monday as a hurricane — is continuing north, with moisture from the storm complicating weather patterns in the tristate area. Isolated thunderstorms could start by the middle of the week, with heavier rain expected into the weekend.

This is a developing story and may be updated.