Michael P. McKinney,Alexandra RiveraRockland/Westchester Journal News
Debby may have weakened from a tropical storm to a depression, but the risks it posed Thursday are still top of mind Friday morning in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties.
The storm could bring up to two inches of rain, strong winds, and potentially heavy thunderstorms Friday and into the evening to Westchester County and other parts of Lower Hudson Valley. Debby's track is expected to have more impact on areas to our west, such as Binghamton and Elmira, where there could be two to four inches of rain, said Bob Larson, AccuWeather senior meteorologist.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for southern Westchester, in effect from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday. Winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour, and gusts of up to 50 mph are possible, the advisory states. "Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result," the advisory said.
Larson said Westchester could see 10 to 20 m.p.h. winds, with possible 30 m.p.h. gusts.
The NWS has also issued a tornado watch for Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and other Hudson Valley counties. The watch is in effect until 10 p.m.
More: NWS issues hazardous weather outlook, wind advisory for Friday in Lower Hudson Valley
What's a tropical depression?
Debby weakened to a tropical depression on Thursday.
According to the National Weather Service, a tropical depression is a "tropical cyclone that has maximum sustained surface winds (one-minute average) of 38 mph (33 knots) or less."
Downed trees affecting morning commuters in Westchester, Rockland
High winds and saturated soil levels brought trees down onto some major roads during Friday morning’s commute.
Route 9 in Greenburgh is experiencing some traffic delays after a tree fell near Warren Street around 12:45 p.m. Another tree brought down some wires on Route 9W in Orangetown between Hawk Nest and South Tweed Boulevard in Piermont. Part of Route 59 in Ramapo near the eastbound area of Torne Valley Road is also blocked by a fallen tree.
Westchester County Airport is experiencing minimal delays, but LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy Airport and Newark International Airport are all experiencing delays between 45 minutes to two hours as of 1:30 p.m. Metro North Railroad lines are clear of delays as of 1 p.m.
Yorktown police said on Facebook that Route 35 will be shut down between Willoway and Quaker Church Road, and that people should use alternate routes. Evergreen Street will be be shut down between Route 35 and Loder Road.The utility NYSEG will be doing work, and people should avoid the area.
Earlier, Yorktown’sRoute 118 was closed between Route 129 and Croton Heights road due to a tree down. A downed tree had closed Yorktown’s Hanover Street, between Croton Heights Road and California Road, earlier today, but it has since reopened.
Yorktown police urged "all residents to avoid driving if they can. We have multiple trees and electrical wires down and blocking roads throughout Yorktown. If you must go out use caution. Please do not drive around [barricades]or police tape. If you encounter an intersection with a non functioning traffic signal treat it as a 4 way stop sign intersection. Do not touch downed wires or try to move trees or branches contacting wires."
For real time updates on road closures, visit NY511 for an interactive map on traffic delays.
Increased risk of flooding for Westchester, Rockland river towns
“The ground is saturated after the recent heavy rains — it won’t take much for there to be flooding, at the very least in poor drainage areas, and ponding on roadways,” Larson said, which could pose risk of hydroplaning for drivers. “There certainly is the potential for some flooding.”
On Tuesday evening, the region got close to three inches of rain but sustained minor damage. Overflowing rivers and saturated ground have caused concern for potential property damage in Westchester and Rockland river towns, including flooding, possible sinkholes and collapsed buildings, trees and poles.
Before mid-week's rain and flooding, County Executive George Latimer saidat a news conferenceof Debby’s potential effects: “Now, we never know what’s going to happen with these storms. You may remember a few years ago, we had a storm called Isaias that came through in about three hours. Rainfall? Minimal. Heavy winds took our power lines and gave us a three-, four-, five-day power problem.”
And when 2021’s Hurricane Ida made New Orleans landfall, Latimer said, “it stalled over Westchester on its way north and gave us a terrible flooding experience.”
Where are Westchester's most flood-prone areas?
Westchester always has some specific flood-prone areas, including potentially the Bronx River Parkway and Hutchinson River Parkway, as well as in some localities such as Mamaroneck.
But the current forecast does not necessarily mean the area will see sustained, widespread flooding either.
As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service had not placed Westchester under a flood watch, though Larson said it’s conceivable the area may eventually be.
The regions that have been under some sort of flood alerts extend from central Virginia through western Maryland, through central Pennsylvania to interior parts of New York state.
The National Weather Service said, "There is the potential for isolated to scattered instances of flash flooding late in the day Friday into Saturday morning, along with urban and poor drainage flooding."
Still, a tropical weather system, even as it loses intensity, has potential to produce locally severe storms and even isolated tornadoes, Larson said.
“It’s not a high risk, but it’s not out of the question that there could even be an isolated tornado somewhere over southeastern New York state or, at the very least, a thunderstorm that would produce locally damaging wind gusts,” more in the 40 m.p.h. range, Larson said.
“That has been the case so far with Debby,” he said, “up through the southeastern U.S. and up through parts of the mid-Atlantics.”
Safety tips for severe weather in Westchester, Rockland
Ahead of the mid-week rain and flooding, county officials urged advice that tends to apply to any potentially stronger weather:
- Stay off roads if possible, especially the ones you know flood the most quickly.
- Prepare for power outages— charge phones now and have flashlights and extra batteries ready; have sufficient water, food and medications ready.
Weekend weather for Westchester, Rockland
Larson said that in the Westchester area, rains are expected to fall in more of a sporadic, showery way rather than steady, persistent downpours that go on for hours.
Expect Friday to be muggy, too.
But weekend weather is expected to improve dramatically.
“We believe the rain will be overbefore daybreak Saturday,” Larson said, with the sun arriving as the day progresses and a noticeable breeze coming out of the west, on the back side of the storm. The weekend forecast is for a mix of sun and clouds on both days, with highs of 86 and 83 degrees, respectively, and lows in the 60s.
