Heightened Risk For Flash Flooding in the Northeast

18 Jul 2021, 10:01 am

Ongoing heavy rain will likely lead to numerous instances of flash flooding today with improving conditions into Monday. The last 24 hours have produced several locations with over 4″ of rain.

Over the past few days, the heavy rain has been focused across the Central Plains and Midwest, leading to flash flooding in major metropolitan areas like Detroit. Many of these locations, including in New England, have seen 200-300% of their normal rainfall over the last 30 days, leading to saturated soils and runoff that develops more quickly. These areas need less total rain for flash flooding.

Forecast / Alerts

Flash flood watches are in effect through Sunday in the Northeast, with some flooding alerts in place for imminent flooding ongoing from the steady morning rain.

The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has issued a slight risk for flash flooding on Sunday in the Northeast. This is a level 2 out of 4 risk for flash flooding, which means numerous instances of flash flooding can be expected in the lime green region but anywhere shaded should be on alert today.

Storms are expected to be much more isolated as the day progresses, which is why the risk level is marginal and slight across portions of the Northeast for the time frame that ends early Monday morning.

Rainfall totals could exceed 3 inches in many locations, with the majority picking up an additional 1″ to 2″.

Never drive through or walk through flood waters. Stay up to date with the latest weather information as this flood threat persists. Your Northeastern regional forecast can always be viewed on our app or on our livestream at 10 past the hour.

About the author

Rob Bradley

Rob grew up in South Florida, where daily afternoon storms and hurricanes piqued his interest in meteorology early on. That interest was fostered by his teachers and his father, who one time brought him onto the roof of their home to watch a funnel cloud move through the Everglades several miles away. ... Load MoreYears of filmmaking and tv production in high school gradually pushed him toward broadcast meteorology at Florida State University, where he joined and eventually led the student run daily weather show. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Meteorology, he began his career at KESQ in Palm Springs, California before heading to KFSN in Fresno and WLOS in Asheville, North Carolina. He has covered a diverse array of extreme weather events, including haboobs and flash flooding in the desert, extreme snow in the Sierra, hurricanes, and Appalachian ice storms. He also enjoys telling stories and reporting about weather issues. Connect with Rob on Twitter