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Emergency declarations made in New York and New Jersey due to flash flood danger

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and her acting counterpart from New Jersey have declared states of emergency in areas that are at risk of flash floods. These extreme flooding is forecast for Thursday along the Eastern Seaboard.

The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings in parts of the Northeast urban area stretching from Washington-Baltimore to Philadelphia, Wilmington and Delaware. It also included the New York City metropolis.

The Interstate-95 corridor was also under severe thunderstorm warnings.

Hochul said that the most intense bands of showers could bring up to 5 inches (12 cm) of rainfall across New York City and Long Island, as well as the Hudson River Valley. The rainfall rate may exceed 2 inches an hour.

Hochul urged New Yorkers to be vigilant, informed and cautious as they expect heavy rains with flash floods.

In a declaration, Tahesha Wadway, the acting Governor of New Jersey, said that New Jersey should expect rainfall totals between 1 and 3 inches in general with localized downpours causing 5 to 7 inches.

She warned that extreme rainfall in New Jersey could cause landslides and rock slides, as well as flash flooding on roadways. The damaging winds of thunderstorms would also pose additional dangers.

Way, lieutenant-governor, issued a statement saying that residents should stay off the roads, and inside, unless it is absolutely necessary. She temporarily serves as the chief executive of the state while Governor Phil Murphy is on vacation.

The Weather Service said that the storm threat was due to a frontal cold air mass that brought a combination unstable air mass with exceptional amounts of moisture in the atmosphere to the area. (Reporting and writing by Joseph Ax, Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler).

(source: Reuters)