How did flooding affect the Lower Hudson Valley?

Clean-up and emergency crews around the Lower Hudson Valley worked Wednesday afternoon to get roads clear after significant flooding affected major highways and parkways across the area from Tuesday’s storm.

Cars were abandoned on Route 9A in Elmsford after overnight rain caused the roadway to be flooded Jan 10, 2024. Heavy rains overnight caused flooding throughout the Lower Hudson Region. The entrance to the Saw Mill Parkway in Elmsford was shut down during the morning rush hours.

Elmsford businesses confront repeated flooding on Route 9A

Businesses along Route 9A in Elmsford used to see only the occasional flood. Now, it’s multiple times a year, Shinu Joseph, the owner of Discount Liquors, said Wednesday as he was closing his store for the day.

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“This is killing my business,” he said. Parts of Route 9A through Elmsford were flooded out on Wednesday, with cars abandoned in the roadway and police restricting traffic into the most water-logged areas.

Service change on Metro North Railroad’s Hudson Line

According to the MTA, train service is being replaced by buses on the Hudson Line between Beacon and Cortlandt because of flooding between Garrison and Cold Spring. No timetable has been yet provided for restoration of train service.

What’s still closed Wednesday afternoon?

Several roads in the Lower Hudson Valley are closed Wednesday due to major flooding:

Rockland

• All lanes on Route 59 and Palisades Center Drive in West Nyack
• Route 59 at Cemetery Lane in Nyack
• Franklin Turnpike in Suffern into Mahwah
• Rockland Terrace and South Street in Suffern
• Route 9W between US 6 (Highlands) and Old Route 9W (Stony Point)
• Route 9W north near Jones Point in Stony Point
• West Shore Drive in Stony Point
• Palisades Interstate Parkway southbound between US 9W and Route 6 and exit 18 in Highlands
• Off-ramp on I-87 northbound before exit 12 in West Nyack
• NY 303 southbound ramp at Bobby Lane in Nyack
• Grassy Point Road and River Road in Stony Point

Westchester

• All lanes on the Saw Mill River Parkway northbound between Exit 20 (I-87) and Exit 21E (Frontage Road) in Greenburgh
• All lanes on the Saw Mill River Parkway southbound at Exit 16 (Lawrence Street) in Dobbs Ferry
• Saw Mill River Parkway at Tuckahoe Road in Yonkers
• All lanes on NY Route 9A between Payne Street and Hunter Lane in Greenburgh
• Parts of NY Route 9A north of Route 119 in Elmsford
• Bronx River Parkway in both directions from the Sprain Brook Parkway to Cemetery Road in Greenburgh
• Bronx River Parkway northbound at E. 233rd Street exit in the Bronx
• Hutchinson River Parkway open but experiencing delays because of ponding

The Harlem and New Haven lines on Metro-North are all running on or close to schedule as of 8 a.m., but the Hudson line has been experiencing delays due to flooding at several stations, including from Garrison to Cold Spring stations.

Hazardous weather advisories still in effect

A coastal flood advisory is still in effect for southern Westchester and southern Connecticut until noon Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, 1 to 2 feet of flooding is expected near the Sound Shore and other coastal areas, including major rivers and other bodies of water.

The Saw Mill River and the Bronx River have already experienced major flooding, causing roadways to be closed during the Wednesday morning commute.

Hudson River surges could also cause additional flooding in Northern Westchester and Rockland communities.

A flood warning was in effect for Rockland County until 9:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Small stream flooding could continue to affect roadways into the afternoon, including in Nyack, Pearl River, Suffern and Nanuet.

A specific river flood warning is in effect for the Ramapo River in Rockland County near Suffern into Mahwah until 2:30 a.m. on Friday.

Suffern mayor Mike Curley said the flooding in the village was expected but not devastating like it has been in the area in recent months. He said most of the flooding the village is seeing comes from the Ramapo River on the New Jersey side.

At the moment, Curley said the Mahwah River, which is usually a flood-prone residential area, is lower than normal. Town officials are monitoring the area to see if the river rises.

Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann said two vehicles had to be rescued from water overnight in Nanuet. He said he urges drivers not to drive into flooded roads.

“If you see water and you don’t know how deep it is, turn around,” he said. “You don’t want to endanger your life.”

The National Weather Service said a wind advisory is also in effect for Westchester and Putnam counties until 8 p.m. Wednesday, with 15 to 25 mph southwest winds expected and potential gusts up to 50 mph that could knock down trees and power lines.

Power outages

ConEdison’s Westchester customers are experiencing some outages. In total, around 47 outages throughout Westchester are affecting 100 customers county-wide. Major problem areas include around Mamaroneck, Ardsley, Yonkers and New Rochelle.

Con Ed was trimming trees to mitigate damage during the day Tuesday and O&R said in a release late Tuesday, it had mobilized its workforce overnight.

Aftermath of overnight storm

Parts of the Lower Hudson Valley saw torrential rain, high winds and major flooding Tuesday night.

Rain started in the area in the early afternoon but picked up around 3 p.m.

Emergency crews started responding to flooding emergencies in Rockland and Westchester counties around 9 p.m. Heavy winds and torrential rain were consistent throughout the night into early morning hours.

Overall, the Lower Hudson Valley saw around 1 to 4 inches of rain overnight.

According to the New York State Mesonet Dashboard from SUNY Albany, Rockland County fared the worst, receiving around 4 inches of rain. Putnam County received about 3 inches of rain.

But Clarkstown Town Supervisor George Hoehmann said he’s relieved the damage wasn’t worse.

“The timing was great, whenever you can get an overnight storm,” he said. “It costs more from an overtime perspective, but I think the winds didn’t materialize to the extent they were talking about. The winds were significant and we’re still getting some winds today, but we just didn’t see the tree damage and the downed lines we had expected here.”

He said there were about 100 outages in Rockland County overall, and only a handful in Clarkstown.

However, the rain in Rockland was more than enough to cause some emergencies. South Pascack Road in Nanuet by the New York State Thruway exit was closed last night due to flooding, as well as College Road near Rockland Community College in Suffern and Jeffrey Court in West Nyack.

The biggest problem in Clarkstown was, as expected, Route 59 in West Nyack near the Palisades Mall. Hoehmann said this is the 17th time the roadway has flooded since Jan. 1, 2023, thanks to the adjacent Hackensack River.

“This is a significant problem. We reached out to New York State. We’ve been in conversations with the DOT, we’re working with our local assemblyman and senator to try and get New York State to take this seriously,” Hoehmann said. “It’s unacceptable that a major state roadway, which is a major artery through our town, closes this many times due to flooding.”

Hoehmann said he doesn’t expect Route 59 in West Nyack to be open for a few days.

Westchester County received around 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain, but is seeing some of the worst major widespread flooding from rivers and creeks.

Wind gusts reached up to 54 mph on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and around 50 mph near the Westchester County Airport.

Flood advisory issued

A flood advisory was issued by the National Weather Service Tuesday night, as the service said between a half-inch and an inch and a half of rain had already fallen by 8:32 p.m. The flood advisory was set to be in effect in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam until 11:45 p.m. as an additional 1 to 2 inches are expected.

“Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected,” the weather service said.

It added to expect minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

According to the National Weather Service, impacted areas could include Yonkers, New Rochelle, White Plains, Port Chester, Ossining, Peekskill, Tarrytown, Mount Kisco, Dobbs Ferry, Nyack, Tappan and Scarsdale.

Ramapo police said that College Road and Bina Lane near Rockland Community College in Suffern are experiencing major flooding conditions as of 9 p.m. Tuesday night. Other minor roads in the county are also starting to experience dangerous flood conditions.

Here’s what the current forecast says

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for an area that includes Westchester, Rockland and Putnam from 6 p.m. Tuesday until 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The region is predicted to receive about 2.5 to 3.5 inches of torrential rain, which, mixed with the melting snow from Saturday’s storm and already saturated ground, could spell trouble for flood-prone areas.

“In terms of the impact we’re expecting from this rainfall, we have to look at the pre-existing conditions that we already have,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey said Tuesday morning. “We have stream flows that are running about 75 to 90% of average right now and the soil moisture is 95% of average. So the rivers are running high and we’ve got snowpack. That’s going to be a problem.”

Tuesday evening is forecast to continue with even more rain and a flood watch throughout the night starting at 6 p.m. Overnight, thunderstorms could start after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Winds Tuesday night could average around 18 to 24 mph and could reach up to 41 mph. Temperatures are predicted to reach 54 degrees.

A coastal flood advisory is in effect for Southern Westchester from 7 p.m. Tuesday until noon Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, runoff and the morning’s high tide could result in major street and property flooding. In coastal communities, waves could break up on the shorelines with up to five feet of water.

A 30 percent chance of rain Wednesday morning should taper off by 1 p.m. The flood watch, however, will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday evening.

Thursday is expected to be sunny and mostly clear, but the National Weather Service said a chance of flooding and strong, damaging winds could come again by Friday night into Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: How did flooding affect the Lower Hudson Valley?