Flood concerns linger
More rainfall may be ahead in the area as the weekend nears
After a full day of rain, flood watches remained in effect for parts of the Catskills and the Capital Region.
The National Weather Service Tuesday issued flood watches for Greene, Schoharie, Ulster and Schenectady counties through noon Wednesday. While the region may see some reprieve with dryer weather Thursday, another storm system could bring more rainfall Friday and into the weekend.
A storm pounded much of the Northeast, leaving hundreds of Capital Region resiovernight dents without power at points on Tuesday.
Nearly 800 National Grid customers in Guilderland lost service for a time at around 10:30 a.m., and pockets of outages were reported in the Schenectady/rotterdam area, Hoosick Falls and Esperance.
The outages followed the arrival Monday night of a storm that prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency as a swath of land that stretches from the Capital Region to Long Island was soaked by heavy rain from a coastal storm that continues to punish the Northeast.
The storm was influenced by a double wallop from two different low pressure systems slowly moving up the East Coast. Rain was set to continue Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service in Albany.
Hochul’s declaration covers Schenectady and Schoharie counties in the Capital Region as well as counties in the Southern Tier, New York City, lower Hudson Valley and Long Island.
The storm’s impact in New York City prevented planes from landing, causing seven flights to be diverted to Albany International Airport.
The storm dumped one to two inches on the northern Hudson Valley, Catskills and the Capital Region, with some spots picking up 2.25 inches, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Brett Rathbun. Albany International Airport picked up just less than an inch, while areas north received less. Updated rainfall counts were not available Tuesday night.
Fallen leaves can cover drains, increasing the likelihood of flooding on streets. Clearing leaves from the top of drains is recommended.
The Catskill Mountains might see some of the worst of the rain’s impact. The storm was expected to bring moderate to heavy periods of rain through Tuesday night. Between 1 and 4 inches of rain could fall with more than 5 inches expected in parts of the Catskills.
Downpours could lead to flooding in low-lying areas and spots prone to flooding because of poor drainage.