Local Flooding Possible As Ophelia Lingers Over The Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — As Ophelia is slow to leave the East Coast, local flooding is possible in the Mid-Hudson Monday into the afternoon and is expected in vulnerable areas along the Long Island Sound shoreline this evening.

"As of Monday morning, Tropical Rainstorm Ophelia was spinning off the coast of New Jersey with sustained winds of 15-20 mph," said AccuWeather meteorologists. "Although the center of circulation had become less defined, a solid shield of rain on the storms' northern flank continued to drench portions of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England, with New York City in the core of rainy and dreary weather.

A flood advisory is in effect for Dutchess and Ulster counties until 1:15 p.m. Minor flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly in the advisory area. Between 1.5 and 3 inches of rain have fallen and additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are expected over the area.

Some communities that will experience flooding include Poughkeepsie, Kingston, New Paltz, Rhinebeck, Hyde Park, Milton, Pleasant Valley, Amenia, Kent, Sharon, Highland, Pine Plains, Red Hook, Millbrook, Litchfield and Canaan.

A hazardous outlook is in effect from 6-11 p.m. Monday evening for southern Westchester, and the National Weather Service warned that coastal flooding could also be possible Tuesday.

Some roads and low-lying properties including parking lots, parks, lawns, and homes and businesses with basements near the waterfront will experience minor flooding, the NWS said.

The coastal storm named Ophelia is gradually exiting the area — and while underneath a
potent high pressure system building over eastern Canada, will help funnel easterly winds and light rain into the Mid-Atlantic, with some embedded heavier showers.

"It may take through much of Tuesday to totally wring out the moisture in our atmosphere," Bruce Furbeck of First Due Weather said on Facebook. "Chances for scattered showers remain through Tuesday."

Temperatures may warm up only slightly on Tuesday.

Here's the 5-day forecast based on Poughkeepsie:

• Monday - Showers likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 61. Northeast wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Tonight - A slight chance of showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. North wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Tuesday - Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
• Tuesday Night - Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. Northeast wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Wednesday - Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Northeast wind around 6 mph.
• Wednesday Night - Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.
• Thursday - Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.
• Thursday Night - Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
• Friday - Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
• Friday Night - Partly cloudy, with a low around 50.