This Week’s Forecast
New York City, including the entire county of Queens, will experience a few days of heavy rain early this week. The National Weather Service has placed the borough under a Flood Watch beginning at 12:00 p.m. Sunday, July 5, running through 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 7. Showers and thunderstorms will arrive Sunday evening and forecasters expect the rain to continue through all of Monday, with total rainfall of 3 to 4 inches by Monday night and locally higher amounts in some spots.
Borough President Urges Residents to Prepare
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. alerted NYC residents of the incoming storm(s), warning of more than 3 inches of rain over the next 48 to 72 hours. “If you live in a basement apartment or on a street that’s prone to flooding, make sure you have a plan in place that you can activate, should water begin to rise,” Richards said, adding that his office will be monitoring the weather and working with agency partners to keep families safe. He urged residents to sign up for Notify NYC alerts, to call 311 to report clogged storm drains, and to call 911 in an immediate flooding emergency.
Basement Apartments at High Risk
Below-grade apartments have repeatedly been the most dangerous places in Queens during heavy rains. If you live in a basement or cellar apartment, or on a street that floods regularly, the weather this week is particularly of note. The ground is already saturated after moderate rainfall on the night of July 4th, which knocked out power to more than 100,000 customers across New York and New Jersey.
Neighborhoods with large Polish communities, including Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, and Glendale, saw some of the worst basement and street flooding during Hurricane Ida in September 2021, and many of the same low-lying blocks remain vulnerable in the upcoming storms this week.
Sign Up for Real-Time Alerts
The city’s official emergency notification system, Notify NYC, sends real-time alerts by text message, including a dedicated alert group for basement apartment residents. To sign up, text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692, enroll at NYC.gov/NotifyNYC, or call 311. Alerts are available in multiple languages, including Polish. You can also monitor real-time street flooding data at floodnet.nyc.
What to do during the storm
Q1: What should I do if the storm drain on my street is clogged?
A1: Call 311 to report clogged catch basins or storm drains. Leaves and debris washing over grates are a common cause of street flooding even when the basins underneath are clear, so reporting a blockage early can help mitigate some flooding.
Q2: When should I call 911?
A2: Call 911 for any immediate flooding emergency, including water rising into an occupied basement apartment, a person trapped by floodwater, or a vehicle stalled in rising water. Never attempt to drive or walk through flooded streets; six inches of moving water is enough to knock an adult down.
Q3: How long will the rain last?
A3: The Flood Watch runs through 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 7. The heaviest rain is expected Sunday night into Monday, with lingering showers possible into Tuesday morning before conditions improve.
City agencies will be monitoring conditions throughout the event. Stay off the roads during the heaviest rain if you can, check on elderly neighbors, and keep your phone charged in case of outages.
