Flash Flood Concerns Becoming Serious
More heavy rain is expected in the Finger Lakes Thursday and Friday. As a result, the threat for flash flooding will continue to grow.
After heavy rain fell Wednesday and Wednesday night, especially across the western and northern Finger Lakes, additional heavy rain may begin to cause flash flooding.
Unfortunately, another area of rain and thunder is already headed for the Finger Lakes from the west.
This rain should start to move in by the mid and late morning hours and will overspread the area through the midday and early afternoon hours.
As with the rain yesterday and last night, embedded thunderstorms will bring locally torrential downpours within the larger area of light to moderate rain.
Many areas could see in excess of an inch of rain by the mid-afternoon, with localized amounts upwards of 3 inches. This would certainly be more than enough for significant localized flooding.
The rain should taper to more scattered showers during the late afternoon before mostly ending this evening.
Scattered showers will again be possible after midnight tonight with the potential for additional heavy thunderstorms during the midday hours Friday.
Staying Safe During Flash Flooding
Over the next 36 hours, I feel there is a strong likelihoods of at least some localized minor flooding problems and a moderate to high chance for significant flash flooding.
Flash flooding can strike almost anywhere with little to no warning. Even the smallest, insignificant looking streams and drainage paths can quickly swell into dangerous, fast moving flood waters.
The southern Finger Lakes also adds an additional, unique factor to the flash flooding risk with the many gorges and waterfalls. With the steep, rocky terrain, flood waters quickly inudate the streams and rise extremely fast. Be very weather aware in and near the gorges Thursday and Friday.
One of the most common dangers of flash flooding is while driving. It is impossible to tell how deep the flood waters actually ara. Even if the water only looks to be a couple inches deep over the road, the flood may have washed away the road underneath, leading to a dangerous situation.
Be sure to never attempt to drive through flood waters. If you come across a flooded road way, alert the authorities and find an alternate route. Flooding is the number one cause of weather related deaths in the United States, and the majority of those deaths occur in automobiles.
Please continue to monitor the weather today and Friday and have a plan in place for action in case flash flooding ocurrs.
Better Weather This Weekend
Thankfully, the stalled out frontal boundary that is responsible for this heavy rain will move out later Friday.
A few showers will likely linger across the area on Saturday morning, but these will be light and should not add to any flooding problems.
By Saturday afternoon, the sun will be out. The humidity levels will be lower and temperatures will be comfortable in the upper 70s.
Sunday looks partly cloudy with highs around 80 degrees. A couple stray afternoon showers may bubble up, but again, should not cause any problems.
Live Weather Updates
Heavy rain on Thursday could lead to flooding – FingerLakes1.com
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