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Heavy Rainfall in South Texas; Pacific Storm Moves into the Pacific Northwest

Thunderstorms may bring heavy to excessive rainfall and the potential for flooding over South Texas late Wednesday through Friday. A Moderate Risk (level 3 of 4) of excessive rainfall has been issued for portions of South Texas. A Pacific storm will begin to impact the Pacific Northwest Wednesday, bringing strong winds, heavy showers and the potential for severe thunderstorms. Read More >

Overview

July 2023 was exceptionally wet across most of eastern New York and western New England. Monthly rainfall totals generally ranged between 6 and 12 inches with some areas receiving slightly more while others received less. The highest values generally occurred across areas along and west of the Hudson Valley. Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms occurred during the month leading to numerous instances of both severe weather and flooding.

A recap of some of the monthly weather events are displayed below:

July 4:  

  • Isolated showers and thunderstorms occurred across portions of eastern New York on July 4, 2023. A few of these thunderstorms became severe producing downed trees and wires. A more concentrated area of damage occurred from the Rensselaer/Columbia County line southward to Stuyvesant. A NWS Storm Survey confirmed a straight line wind event occurred with winds estimated up to 100 mph causing widespread damage.

July 9-11: 

  • A strong upper-level system brought widespread rounds of showers and thunderstorms to eastern New York and western New England on July 9-11, 2023.
     
  • Across eastern New York, rainfall totals varied greatly from region to region but the hardest hit areas (Hudson Valley and into northeastern Hamilton County) received 3 to 6 inches of rainfall. Areal and flash flooding was primarily focused across areas along the Hudson River on July 9-10. Damage consisted of closed and washed out roads. A section of Metro-North's railroad tracks were washed out due to flood waters from Poughkeepsie southward. The combination of heavy rain and beaver dam failures resulted in destruction of roads, bridges and sidewalks across northeastern Hamilton County during the early morning hours on July 11 focused on the areas of Long Lake and Blue Mountain Lake. A State of Emergency was declared for the towns of Long Lake and Indian Lake. New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for Hamilton County. Hamilton County Emergency Manager estimated damage to be in the millions of dollars.
     
  • Across southern Vermont, rainfall totals generally ranged between 2.50 and 5.00 inches with some localized amounts of around 6 inches across the southern Green Mountains. This rainfall resulted in areas of areal and flash flooding. The hardest hit area was in the Town of Londonderry as water flooded numerous roads and caused portions of the area to be inaccessible. Many other roadways across southern Vermont were closed due to flooding from the combination of heavy rainfall and rivers overflowing their banks. A few water rescues were also conducted to assist those in rising flood waters. Vermont Governor Phil Scott declared a state of emergency on July 10 as a result of the flooding. President Joe Biden later approved a major disaster declaration for the state of Vermont.

  • Across western Massachusetts, rainfall totals were generally in the 1.50 to 4.00 inch range. Areas receiving flooding included the City of North Adams and the towns of Clarksburg, Becket, Sheffield, Washington and Great Barrington mainly consisting of closed and/or washed out roads and flooded homes/basements. Damage within the City of North Adams was estimated at $1.5 million. A State of Emergency was issued for North Adams, Becket, Hinsdale and Clarksburg due to the flooding.

  • Across northwestern Connecticut, rainfall amounts between 4 and 7 inches occurred. This resulted in numerous reports of flash flooding and washed out roads and culverts. A local declaration of emergency was issued in the Town of Norfolk following flash flood damage along Route 272. The damage along this road caused some homes to become isolated. A State of Emergency was also issued by Goshen First Selectman Todd Carusillo.

July 13-15:

  • A line of strong to severe thunderstorms ahead and along a cold frontal boundary resulted in widespread downed trees and wires and a few reports of flooding across eastern New York and western New England during the afternoon and evening hours of July 13, 2023.
     
  • Additional isolated to scattered thunderstorms developed during the evening and early overnight hours on July 14-15, 2023 producing additional reports of hail, wind damage and flooding.

Climate Stats:

  • The climate site at Albany International Airport received 10.70 inches of rain during the month which made it the wettest July on record at the time. July 2009 was the next wettest July on record with 9.91 inches. This was also the third wettest month on record at the time only behind October 1869 (13.48 inches) and September 1999 (11.06 inches). Precipitation records date back to 1826.
     
  • The climate site at Poughkeepsie, New York received 7.52 inches of rain during the month which made it the seventh wettest July on record at the time. Precipitation records date back to 1931.
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