Flooding
1 to 2.5 inches of rain floods Queens' Van Wyck; flash flood warning to 5:15 PM
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk · Published
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
Key points
- Where: Queens County, including Jamaica, Rockaway Beach and Kennedy Airport, with the Van Wyck Expressway flooded in South Jamaica.
- When: The warning runs from 2:10 PM to 5:15 PM ET Thursday, Nov. 12.
- What: Between 1 and 2.5 inches of rain has already fallen, based on radar estimates.
- What it means: Water over roads is a danger right now. Tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 13, has no flash flood risk outlined.
Radar estimates show between 1 and 2.5 inches of rain has fallen on Queens, and the Van Wyck Expressway had water standing across its lanes in South Jamaica at 3:14 PM ET Thursday. A flash flood warning covers Queens County, including Jamaica, Rockaway Beach and Kennedy Airport, until 5:15 PM ET. Cars and a school bus were throwing wakes through the water on a state traffic camera.
Water across the Van Wyck lanes
This image comes from a NYSDOT / 511NY traffic camera on the Van Wyck in South Jamaica. In the clip, taken around 3:14 PM ET, vehicles slow down and push wakes through standing water that stretches across the lanes. A school bus is among them. The camera has no audio and the picture is small, but the water is plain to see.
We only have this one camera view, so we can't say how deep the water is or how far the flooding spreads along the highway.
Why the rain is piling up
A warm front is lifting north into the I-95 corridor this afternoon. Storms are expected to focus along that line. When storms keep forming and moving over the same neighborhoods, rain adds up quickly in urbanized areas. That is the setup between Philadelphia and New York today.
Our flash flood outlook has Level 1 of 4 (Marginal) from eastern Pennsylvania into Long Island, including New Jersey and New York. That is the lowest flash flood level. The warning applies to current flooding in Queens despite the low broader outlook level. Severe storms are also in play today, at Level 2 of 5 (Slight Risk) across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
How many more storms line up over the city this afternoon is the uncertain part. The warning stands through 5:15 PM ET. Check the live warnings page before you head out.
What to do
- Skip the Van Wyck, Jamaica streets and the Rockaway Beach area until the warning ends, if you can.
- Don't drive through water over the road. You can't tell how deep it is.
- Heading to JFK? Leave extra time and check the airport delay outlook and your airline before you go.
- If you have a basement apartment or low garage in Queens, move valuables and cars up and away from the water.
- Get alerts on your phone. You can sign up for free Y'all Alerts so the next warning finds you.
What comes next
Tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 13, has no flash flood risk outlined and no severe storms expected for the Northeast. The next flash flood area on our map is Saturday, Nov. 14, and it sits in Washington state, not here.
Bottom line
Up to 2.5 inches of rain has flooded the Van Wyck and put Queens under a flash flood warning until 5:15 PM ET. Stay off flooded roads this afternoon. No flash flood risk is outlined for Friday.
Explained: Flood Advisory, Watch, Warning and Flash Flood Warning explained, What the flash flood risk levels mean, from Level 1 to Level 4
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