NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred are predicted to bring heavy rainfall, flash flooding and possible tornadoes to parts of the Tri-State area on Wednesday.
According to AccuWeather, hazardous weather conditions are expected to develop late Wednesday and into Thursday morning as the dying tropical storm passes through the area.
“There is a marginal risk for severe weather, mainly for parts of [New York City] and points [north and west], with damaging winds and an isolated tornado,” AccuWeather warned residents.
Meteorologist Bill Deger warns showers will be sporadic throughout the day Wednesday before picking up in the evening hours.
“We've been seeing these spotty showers out there this morning and we'll see that likely continue through the afternoon so, we could have a few sprinkles of quick downpour moving through at times this afternoon but, not expecting it to rain much again before we get to about 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. tonight – that's when the heavier showers and storms move in,” he said.
AccuWeather notes that the heavy rainfall could cause intense flooding in some parts of the Northeast, where many locations are “coming off their wettest July on record.”
AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert notes that nearly a month's worth of rain could fall in just 6-8 hours in some spots.
While no warnings have been issued for the Tri-State area as of 12 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service did issue a tornado watch for parts of Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia until 8 p.m.
It’s possible more areas may be added to the watch as Fred continues to move up the coast.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already directed state agencies to prepare emergency response assets ahead of the storm.
"The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred are poised to impact several parts of the State through tomorrow with heavy rain and flash flooding conditions, especially in parts of the Finger Lakes where they already received a good deal of rain yesterday," Cuomo said. "State agencies are in contact with and ready to assist local governments with whatever they may need. As the storm approaches, I am urging anyone within these areas to keep a close eye on the weather and take action now to prevent damage or injury from flooding conditions."
Cuomo’s office says 2-4 inches of rain is expected in several Upstate areas and more than 6 inches of rain is possible in parts of the Capital Region, Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier. The Finger Lakes region is also at risk for increased flash flooding based on several inches of rainfall received yesterday.
While heavy rain is expected, temperatures will still hit around 82 Wednesday before dropping down to the low 70s overnight.
Thursday’s weather will likely be similar to Wednesday with sporadic breaks of sun throughout the afternoon as temperatures warm to the mid-80s.
It’s possible that thunderstorms could also linger into Friday, which is expected to be sunnier with a high of 86.