The north-eastern United States is bracing itself for a potentially catastrophic weather convergence, with flash flood warnings now in place for key areas such as New York City and northern New Jersey. The latest development comes after a brief reprieve from the poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires that has once again enveloped the region.
The return of smoke on Saturday pushed air quality levels back into the unhealthy range, prompting concerns among residents in urban centres. Meanwhile, shifting winds are forecast to gradually improve air quality through dispersal, but this same shift is fuelling a new threat: strong to severe thunderstorms that could bring torrential rainfall, damaging wind gusts, and even isolated tornadoes.
The initial wave of powerful storms swept through northern New Jersey and New York City earlier today, prompting a flash flood warning until 2 pm local time. Social media documented water ingress into critical city infrastructure, notably Penn Station. In some areas, more than 2.5 inches of rain had been recorded by the afternoon, leading to widespread flooding or expectations thereof in regions under the warning. Neighbourhoods such as Jamaica, Crown Heights, Forest Hills, and Brooklyn Heights were among those significantly impacted.
The National Weather Service has placed much of the tri-state area under a Level 3 out of 5 risk for severe weather, indicating numerous severe storms are likely rather than scattered incidents. Beyond the immediate threat of flash flooding, forecasters also advise on the possibility of hail by day's end.
Meanwhile, Texas continues to grapple with the aftermath of several days of destructive storms and unprecedented rainfall. The prolonged downpours have ceased across the Texas Hill Country but focus has shifted to major rivers that are forecast to surge south throughout the weekend. The Devils River in south-west Texas is projected to reach major flood stage on Saturday morning, potentially climbing as high as 22 feet, far exceeding its typical flood stage of 5 feet. Similarly, the Rio Grande is expected to peak at 21 feet by Sunday morning, with minor flooding in the Laredo area beginning at 8 feet.
Emergency services in Texas conducted numerous rescues on Friday as additional heavy rain exacerbated the flood threat. The extensive flooding has tragically resulted in at least two fatalities and necessitated the rescue of hundreds of individuals. Some areas received over 2 feet of rain in a week of continuous downpours. Even as rainfall was expected to diminish, another round of showers pushed already swollen rivers to higher levels, inundating rural communities near the Mexico border that had largely escaped the initial severe damage. Incidents included Interstate 10 being closed due to flooding.