The New York City metropolitan region is experiencing historic floods, and it is still pouring. The Associated Press said that the almost apocalyptic rains forced the famed subway system to shut several stations and congested major thoroughfares all around the city.
There were several reports of trapped drivers and water rescues as of the time of writing late on Friday afternoon. The National Weather Service in New York advised citizens not to travel Friday evening in impacted regions since the city is now under a State of Emergency.
Here are four astounding details regarding the severe and continuous flooding in the New York City area.
1. The Wettest Calendar Day On Record At John F. Kennedy Airport
At John F. Kennedy Airport, where Hurricane Donna (1966) had previously set the previous record for wettest September day with 5.83 inches, it was undoubtedly anticipated that Friday would break that mark. But the non-hurricane event of today went much farther.
The National Weather Service said on platform X that as of September 29, 2023, John F. Kennedy International Airport has experienced its wettest calendar day on record:
Here’s a look at forecast high temperatures for Saturday:
-It’s going to be mild and warm with perhaps a few record highs in the mid-section of the U.S.
-Below normal highs very likely in California/West
-Highs a few degrees below normal along coastal Northeast/Mid-Atlantic pic.twitter.com/3pcFBZJ9Bc— National Weather Service (@NWS) September 29, 2023
7.88 inches of rain has fallen as of Friday afternoon, breaking the previous record of 7.80 inches. And the rain hasn’t stopped. At JFK, records go back to 1948.
2. Rainfall Continues Into Friday Evening For Parts Of The Area
Emergency managers in New York City have issued a warning that rain is anticipated until Friday evening, and meteorologists concur. Weather professional Kieran Bhatia works at Model projections from Guy Carpenter were available up to Saturday afternoon.
There’s still a chance of getting a lot of rain in parts of Connecticut and Long Island. He underlined that for the time being, most of the torrential rain that had been falling over New York City had subsided. However, the National Weather Service Friday afternoon discussion warns:
“There continues to be potential for scattered to numerous instances of flash flooding, especially in urban and poor drainage areas. Locally considerable and life threatening flash flooding remains possible where axis of heaviest rain develops and sits for several hours.”
3. The Meteorological Scenario That Caused Epic Flooding In The New York City Region
I chose to investigate the National Weather Service prediction discussion that was released overnight on Thursday into early Friday. There were several blatant indicators of a big flooding event:
- Through Friday night, a significant moisture fetch from the Atlantic Ocean was predicted to enter the region.
- The surface had an inverted trough of low pressure.
- Precipitable water, which is used to measure the quantity of water vapor in the atmosphere from the surface to the highest regions of the troposphere, indicates a very saturated environment with high end values above 1.5 inches.
4. A Frontal Focusing Mechanism, Convergence and Upper Level Low Pressure
The forecast discussion went on to say:
“The CAMs are producing some extreme results, with rainfall totals exceeding 10 inches in some models in some areas. While this may be overdone, the signal is there for some high end rainfall totals, particularly when considering the NAM has been suggesting max totals in the 5-6 inch range.”
It’s interesting because during one of my class lectures today, we spoke about the value of moisture and how a rising atmosphere has greater capacity for water vapor. Studies reveal that as a result, rainfall rates are increasing.
Future climate attribution studies on this occurrence are probably going to be done by climatologists in order to understand any possible meteorological-climate linkages. I could see that the meteorological setting was omnious until that occurred.
The perfect conditions for a “training/backbuilding” event, in which heavy rains would fall or develop in the same place for a protracted length of time, were provided by the moisture fetch, anticipated surface boundaries, and lifting processes.
5. Government Shutdown Threatens Flood Insurance Program
Ironically, political unrest in Washington D.C. has put the nation in danger of experiencing another government shutdown. Thankfully, our brave National Weather Service coworkers will continue to protect us.
It is repugnant that they are still being used as pawns and might face a difficult financial situation before receiving back compensation, nevertheless. How come I’m bringing up the shutdown? The National Flood Insurance Program may be forced to suspend issuing new coverage as a result of the closure, according to various sources.
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