ZCZC NYCWRKPN3 000 TTAA00 KNYC 040410 CTZ005>012-NJZ002-004-006-103>108-NYZ067>075-078>081-176>179-141000- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY 600 AM EDT WED MAR 13 2019 ...This week Is National Flood Safety Awareness Week... Today’s topic is Flooding and Related Phenomena. When it comes to tropical cyclones, wind speeds do not tell the whole story. Intense rainfall, not directly related to the wind speed of a tropical cyclone, often causes more damage. Since the 1970s, inland flooding has been responsible for more than half of the deaths associated with tropical cyclones in the United States. Typically, greater rainfall amounts and flooding are associated with tropical cyclones that have a slow forward speed or stall over an area. On August 28th 2011, Hurricane Irene moved up along the eastern seaboard, making landfall Sunday morning in New York City before slightly weakening to a strong tropical storm. This resulted in copious amounts of rain throughout the area, where totals ranged mostly from 3 to 9 inches with some locally higher amounts between 9 and 12 inches. Automated surface observing system stations at Central Park, La Guardia airport, JFK airport and Newark airport had significant contributions from Irene and ended up setting records for the wettest August on record. There were numerous flooding reports across the region involving roadway closures as well as stranded vehicles and water rescues. The Saddle River at Lodi NJ reached its second highest historical crest on record with a stage level of 13.50 feet on this date, falling short of the 13.94 feet stage set on September 16th 1999 with Tropical Storm Floyd. The Ramapo River at Mahwah NJ set its highest stage on record with a level of 15.78 feet which exceeded its previous record by more than 3 feet. The Raritan River at Bound Brook NJ reached up to 41.90 feet, which was the 2nd highest historical stage on record, falling just short of its stage during Tropical Storm Floyd In September 1999. The New York National Weather Service office works hard to monitor and track tropical cyclones and project their impact on our region to help our residents prepare. We hold daily conference calls with emergency management officials, state and local government agencies including those who work in disaster relief. We also have the Hurricane Hotline in our office, which is a direct line to the National Hurricane Centers forecasters. We also work closely with our River Forecast Centers who model the river and stream flow in our region, which is critical for flood forecasting. Fall and Spring nor’easters also have the potential to produce damaging freshwater flooding from heavy rainfall. An intense, slow moving nor’easter on April 15-16 2007 brought record-setting rainfall amounts between 4 and 9.5 inches to New York City, southwestern Connecticut, northeastern New Jersey and the Lower Hudson Valley. Serious flooding occurred in portions of Northeastern New Jersey and Westchester county New York. During the summer, a stationary front can be the focus for a prolonged period of heavy showers and thunderstorms moving over the same area. On August 12th, 2014 this setup brought 6 to 10 inches of rainfall across central Long Island in just 3 hours. Widespread serious flash flooding occurred, resulting in hundreds of cars being trapped on roads, including major highways, widespread basement and property flooding and even development of several life threating sinkholes. During winter, large snow storms and cold weather leave many locations across the local area with a deep snow cover and frozen rivers. If heavy rain and unusually mild temperatures move into a location with a deep snow cover and a frozen river, the ice can break up. These ice jams, which float downstream, often pile up near narrow passages, such as bridges, causing water to overflow upstream from the jam, resulting in flooding of nearby homes and businesses. An ice jam flood can occur quickly. The risk of ice jam flooding increases when the amount of ice in our area water systems is above normal. An ice jam restricts the natural flow of a water system. To help the public prepare for the potential of Winter and Spring flooding, the New York National Weather Service office issues Spring flood potential outlooks every other Thursday. These detail current snowpack, ice and soil moisture. The outlook determines the risk for Winter and Spring flooding. This outlook can be found on the New York National Weather Service office web site, which is weather.gov/okx. Once the smoke clears from a wildfire, the danger is not over. Flash floods and debris flows, or mudflows, can be one of the most hazardous consequences of rainfall on burned hill slopes. Just a small amount of rainfall on a burned area can lead to these hazards. The powerful force of rushing water, soil and rock, both within the burned area and downstream, can destroy culverts, bridges, roadways and other structures and can result in injury or death. The U.S. Geological Landslides Hazards Program in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration strives to reduce loss of life and property to landslide hazards through improved understanding and effective mitigation. This is accomplished in three primary ways, development of improved approaches for landslide hazard assessments, post-disaster response and public information and outreach. The topics that we will focus on the rest of this week are... Thursday...Flood Insurance. Friday...Flood Safety. For more information on Flood Awareness Week use this web site... https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood If you need additional information, contact our Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Nelson Vaz, at nelson.vaz@noaa.gov or Senior Service Hydrologist, Nancy Furbush, at nancy.furbush@noaa.gov.