The National Weather Service had 19 active Flash Flood Warnings in effect this morning across nine states, down from 31 warnings across 14 states a day earlier, as the flooding threat pulled back from Appalachia and concentrated instead over the Northeast and the Florida Panhandle.
New England took the brunt of the shift. Warnings covered Bristol, Kent, Providence and Washington counties in Rhode Island and Bristol, Middlesex and Worcester counties in Massachusetts, along with Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford counties in New Hampshire. The National Weather Service office in Norton, Massachusetts, reported that 1 to 2 inches of rain had already fallen by 8:15 a.m. EDT, with rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour and additional totals of 1 to 2 inches possible before that warning expires at 11:45 a.m. EDT. A separate warning covering southeastern Hillsborough and southeastern Rockingham counties in New Hampshire reported 1 to 2.5 inches of rain already down and cautioned of “life threatening flash flooding” with rain falling at rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour.
Metro New York and Philadelphia are also under warnings, spanning New Jersey’s Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties; Pennsylvania’s Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties; Connecticut’s Hartford and Tolland counties; and all five New York City boroughs — Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond — plus Nassau County on Long Island.
In Florida, warnings stretch along the Big Bend and Panhandle, covering both inland and coastal sections of Gulf, Franklin, Jefferson, Wakulla, Taylor and Dixie counties, along with Leon, Madison, Lafayette and southern Liberty counties.
The footprint marks a change from the previous day, when warnings covered a 14-state stretch running from Texas through Appalachia to Michigan and Alaska. Texas, Florida, North Carolina, New York and Alaska remain under warnings for a second straight day, while Arizona has newly joined the list — a sign of monsoon moisture fueling thunderstorms in the Southwest. States that have since cleared warnings include Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
The National Weather Service says most flood deaths occur in vehicles and is urging drivers not to enter flooded roads — “turn around, don’t drown.” With the current warnings set to expire through the late morning and early afternoon, forecasters say additional rounds of thunderstorms could trigger new warnings later today, particularly across the Northeast corridor.