The remnants of Hurricane Ida were expected to drop heavy rain across parts of the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England on Wednesday and Thursday, with life-threatening flash flooding possible in much of those areas, meteorologists said.
The Mid-Atlantic region and New England should anticipate three to eight inches of rain on Wednesday and into Thursday from Ida, the National Weather Service said. The storm hit Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane but has since been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A National Weather Service meteorologist in New York warned the system would be a “significant rainfall event” and warned drivers to stay off the roads Wednesday evening.
“The heaviest and the steadiest of rain looks to fall later tonight, probably after about 7, 8 p.m. this evening and continue into the very early hours of Thursday,” said Dominic Ramunni, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Long Island.
The governors of Virginia and West Virginia declared states of emergency Tuesday night ahead of the system’s arrival.
Widespread river flooding could occur in southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, particularly in the Monongahela, Potomac, Susquehanna, Delaware and lower Hudson River basins, forecasters said.
The last storm to hit the Northeast was Henri, which made landfall in southwestern Rhode Island on Aug. 22 as a tropical storm, sending lashing bands of rain across much of New England that knocked out power in most of coastal Rhode Island, forced evacuations in Connecticut, stranded dozens of motorists in New Jersey and shattered rainfall records in New York City.
At its peak, Henri left more than 140,000 households without power from New Jersey to Maine, and in New York City, cars were left stranded in flooded streets. And Henri had followed Elsa, which in early July brought relentless rain and flash flooding to much of the Northeast, downed power lines and forced would-be subway riders to navigate waist-deep waters on their way into one Upper Manhattan station.
Meteorologists were warning on Tuesday that similarly high amounts of rain could hit the region as the tropical moisture associated with Ida intersects with strong wind bands over the upper levels of the atmosphere in the Northeast, creating heavy rainfalls.
A flash flood watch will be in effect from Wednesday night to Thursday for New York City, all of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Morning commutes on Thursday could be affected by drainage flooding in much of New England and the Mid-Atlantic, particularly in metropolitan areas, meteorologists said.
“Obviously, it’s been so wet,” Mr. Ramunni said.
“I can tell you it was the second wettest summer on record for Central Park,” he said, adding that the amount of rain in the forecast, “on top of how wet it’s been, is going to cause issues.”
In light of the flash flood watch, New York City Emergency Management issued a travel advisory from Wednesday to Thursday morning. Five to six inches of rain was expected in the city, with winds up to 30 miles per hour. Much of the flash flooding will most likely occur overnight.
The National Weather Service also warned that there will be potential for thunderstorms late Wednesday afternoon into the night in New York, some of which may become severe with damaging winds.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to watch out for deceptively deep bodies of water that could appear to be shallow.
“We’ll get through this one, too,” Mr. de Blasio said. “Let’s get this storm by us.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York also ordered state agencies to prepare emergency response plans and told residents to exercise caution. Ms. Hochul also warned of the possibility of a tornado in the downstate area. More than 5,000 utility workers across the state have been prepared for damage and restoration responses, she said.
“I am urging people in areas forecast for heavy rains to prepare for flooding conditions and stay safe,” Ms. Hochul said in a statement.
A tornado watch was issued for southeast Pennsylvania, most of New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Maryland until 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
The storm will move farther into New England on Thursday.
“Ida is basically going to be exiting New England by Thursday night,” said Dan Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “But it’s going to drop heavy rain before it leaves.”
Derrick Bryson Taylor, Ashley Wong and Isabella Grullón Paz contributed reporting.
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