Severe thunderstorms and floods are expected for New York City

Key Points:

• New York City officials have issued warnings for strong storms and heavy rain on Thursday, with potential flooding in urban and poor drainage areas due to locally heavy rainfall.
• The National Weather Service forecasts showers and severe thunderstorms starting late morning and continuing intermittently through the evening, with rainfall totals ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 inches, especially north and west of the city.
• There is a risk of damaging wind gusts up to 65 mph and small hail during the more intense storms, prompting warnings against driving or walking through floodwaters and advising residents in basement apartments to prepare to move to higher floors.
• Mayor Zohran Mamdani emphasized caution, advising residents to avoid flooded areas and stay informed via the NOTIFYNYC alert system, while officials expect most wet weather to clear by late Friday.
• Temperatures are expected to remain in the low 80s through Sunday, with only isolated showers possible over the weekend, unlikely to disrupt plans.