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Severe weather, air quality issues continue to strain NYC, NJ
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jul 17, 2023
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Fernando Comet/Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jul 17, 2023
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New York can’t seem to catch a weather break these days.
After Sunday’s intense storms soaked the state and even had some counties on tornado watch, Monday’s hot, sunny weather brings new concerns.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued an air quality health advisory for much of the region, including the city, Long Island, the Lower Hudson Valley, Upper Hudson Valley, Adirondacks, Eastern Lake Ontario, Central New York and Western New York.
For the upstate areas, the issue is fine particulate matter– the kind that comes with the Canadian wildfire smoke scheduled to float across the state on Monday. That advisory will be in effect though midnight.
For Long Island and New York City regions, the concern is particulate matter coupled with ozone, which can form at ground level in hot weather and is mostly caused by vehicle exhaust and out-of-state emission sources. That advisory will expire at 11 p.m.
The joint advisories mean that the DEC expects the Air Quality Index to surpass 100 Monday, which indicates poor air that could be unhealthy for vulnerable groups.
Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted that masks will be distributed at Port Authority Bus Terminal from 7 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.
Some residents of the tri-state area are still recovering from Sunday’s heavy rain, which caused flash flooding, road closures and waterlogged basements.
Meteorologist John Murray from the National Weather Service said reports of flooding streamed in from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., spanning wide swaths of Long Island, Westchester and Southern Connecticut.
A portion of the Cross Island Parkway in Queens was closed at one point Sunday afternoon due to floods, while basements in Bridgehampton filled with several feet of water. Bay Shore, Long Island logged an intense 6 inches of rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. Manhattan, by comparison, logged over an inch, with Central Park reporting close to 2.
Murray said a tornado watch was called in from the storm prediction center for Long Island, Putnam and Westchester counties, but no tornado touchdowns were reported. The heaviest wind gusts were reported at sea, he said.
The weather also caused disruptions above, with over 300 flights canceled out of LaGuardia and JFK airports combined, according to FlightAware. Out of Newark Airport alone, 183 flights were canceled – the highest number reported anywhere in the country.
A State of Emergency remained in effect for New Jersey on Monday morning, with Gov. Phil Murphy expected to visit Warren County to see damage from flooding there, according to spokesperson Natalie Hamilton.
Sunday’s rain came just a week after residents of the Hudson Valley were hit with 8 inches of rain, causing a “1,000-year flood” that destroyed homes and businesses and killed one woman after she was swept away by rushing water.
“This is possibly our new normal,” said Hochul in a Sunday press conference. “What should normally be a beautiful, beach-going Sunday in July can turn into a devastating catastrophe because of Mother Nature.”
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Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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