Hudson Valley Inundated With Rain: September - And Summer - Of 2023

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The region received more than three times the usual amount of rain for September, and almost a third of that came on Friday and Saturday, in a deluge that flooded roads, homes and streams in the lower Hudson Valley.

By the end of the storm Saturday, the communities with the most rain in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties were New Rochelle with 6.49 inches, Spring Valley with 4.79 inches and Lake Carmel with 4.28, according to the National Weather Service.

September was wet.

The National Weather Service published a "September recap" Monday: At LaGuardia and Kennedy airports, September was the wettest on record. Each received more than 300 percent of the normal September rainfall.

Parts of the lower Hudson Valley saw nearly two months of rain just in the past week, Bill Potter of Hudson Valley Weather pointed out on Facebook, listing "other insane totals" including the community of Valley Stream on Long Island, which got 9.06 inches, and JFK Airport, which measured 8.65 inches.

In terms of precipitation, it was an abnormal end to a thoroughly abnormal summer.

"July and August typically each average 4 inches, and September - 4.13," Bruce Furbeck of First Due Weather told Patch. "Typically the third quarter rainfall around Orange County comes in at about 12."

This year, between July and September he measured 32.64 inches of rainfall at his compound in Monroe: 13.43 in July, 4.68 inches in August and 14.53 in September.

Usually in the Hudson Valley, the annual rainfall total is only about 44 inches, Furbeck said.

We almost got there in one quarter.

Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester received 29-33 inches of rain in the 120 days ending Sept. 30, according to NYS Mesonet, the state's Early Warning Weather Detection System.

"This past September was WET. It even TRUMPED July which was historic with rainfall," Furbeck said on Facebook. "I experienced a whopping 15 days with rainfall from relatively 4 separate long duration events. The most memorable event was the first Friday of school. 5.28" of rainfall which was mostly measured during a 2-hour period. It caused significant flooding across Monroe. Some areas didn’t even observe rainfall on that day in Orange County. The big event in July only delivered 4.91" of rainfall at The Compound."

SEE ALSO:

• HV Flood Timeline July 9: People Trapped, Cars Flood, Roads Collapse
• Lee Ushers In Hudson Valley Weekend With Gusty Winds, Coastal Flooding
• Ophelia To Bring The Hudson Valley Gusty Winds, Heavy Rain