Widespread storms moving through the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast were bringing periods of intense rainfall on Thursday, and forecasters said some areas could see a “potentially significant flash flooding event” as multiple rounds of storms moved through.
Here are the key things to know:
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Portions of New York City as well as some areas in southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern New Jersey were under flash flood warnings, which means flash flooding is imminent or already occurring. New York City issued a travel advisory, and flights were disrupted through the afternoon.
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Washington and Baltimore could see some of the most intense rain. Flash flood warnings were issued there a little after 4 p.m. lasting through the evening.
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A severe thunderstorm watch, which means conditions are favorable for the type of storms that can deliver strong winds and hail, was in place until 8 p.m. for an area that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City.
Parts of New York flooded early in the afternoon.
In New York City, traffic cameras operated by the Department of Transportation showed extensive flooding on the Clearview Expressway in Queens after a storm moved through. At the northern edge of the flooded area, near 35th Street, a car was submerged nearly to its roof.
At 3:30 p.m., an emergency responder in a red life vest could be seen opening all four doors and the trunk of the sedan, but he found no one. The rescuer next swam to a partially submerged semi truck. He opened the passenger door, helped someone inside exit the cab, and together they swam to the side of the road.
An hour later, traffic was beginning to return to the northbound lanes of the Clearview Expressway, north of 35th Street in Queens. The southbound lanes remained blocked by tow trucks that were working to move a car and a semi truck that had been stranded by floodwater.
“Thursday’s storm system is expected to bring periods of heavy rain and potentially dangerous conditions to our city,” said Mayor Eric Adams of New York, where just two weeks ago heavy rains inundated the subways and led to flash flooding.
The Police Department announced on social media that all northbound lanes of F.D.R. Drive were closed north of East Houston Street because of flooding.
The Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay operates FloodNet NYC, a map showing real-time flooding information across New York City. By 4:30 p.m., the highest flooding recorded citywide happened at the corner of Catherine Court and Jewett Avenue on Staten Island, where the water reached a depth of 21.3 inches at 3 p.m.
“Anytime you’re over a foot, yeah, we’re talking a lot of water,” said Brett Branco, the institute’s director.
Flooding swelled in other areas as the storm moved east across the city. At 4 p.m. the water was 9.3 inches deep at the corner of Ditmas Avenue and Westminster Road in Flushing, Brooklyn, and 8.1 inches deep in the Wingate neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Travel was disrupted along the East Coast.
By early afternoon, flight disruptions were rising at airports around the New York metropolitan area and along the East Coast, with hundreds of weather-related delays and cancellations stacking up.
Departures to Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, La Guardia International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Teterboro Airport and Philadelphia International Airport were grounded. This has resulted in flight delays two hours long and counting at some airports.
The city of Baltimore took a range of precautions, including closing flood-prone streets, opening free parking for people who live in low-lying areas and setting up stations to hand out sand bags. City-sponsored outdoor activities were canceled and all city pools closed. Some city and state facilities in Baltimore were closed before the storms arrived. The city shut public library branches, and the Maryland Port Administration said the front gate at the Port of Baltimore’s Seagrit Marine Terminal was also closed to truck traffic on Thursday afternoon in anticipation of potentially dangerous weather.
Northeast of Baltimore, in Harford County, a major highway was so inundated by Thursday afternoon that first responders had to rescue two people whose car was partially submerged.
Here’s where the worst rain is expected:
The weather conditions leading to the bouts of heavy rain involve a cold front moving across the region. Richard Bann, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center, an arm of the National Weather Service, said the front was interacting with air that was unusually warm, humid and unstable this time of year.
“That’s going to allow the storms to become stronger,” he said. “With some very intense rainfall rates, upward of two inches per hour.”
The Weather Prediction Center issued a Level 3 out of 4 risk for excessive rainfall for an area that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City through Friday. A wider area, from central Virginia to southern Massachusetts, including Richmond and Long Island, was under slightly lower risk. Flood watches were also issued across much of the region.
Forecasters highlighted two main areas of concern when storms begin to develop in the region on Thursday afternoon.
From northeast Pennsylvania through southern New England, rainfall of up to 1.5 inches per hour was expected. Forecasters said locally significant flash flooding was likely, particularly for areas close to the Poconos and the higher elevations of southern New England.
Farther south, the storms were forecast to be more intense. From northern New Jersey to Northern Virginia, up to three inches of rain per hour was expected, especially in the Washington and Baltimore areas, extending into southern New Jersey. The center said that some places were expected to get over five inches of rain.
Because the affected area includes major urban centers, including the I-95 corridor, Mr. Bann said that flash flooding could lead to serious disruptions, especially since repeated storms over the same locations were expected.
“It’s also been very wet in some of these places, like Washington, D.C.,” he said. “The ground already has water in it, so any additional water on top of it is going to be more likely to run off as well.”
Once the front passes through, the outlook is looking drier and cooler from Friday.
“There might be some lingering rain along the coast,” Mr. Bann said. “But the heavier activity will have gone.”
Adam Bednar Christine Chung, Campbell Robertson contributed reporting.
Nazaneen Ghaffar is a Times reporter on the Weather team.
Christopher Maag is a reporter covering the New York City region for The Times.
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