New York Sees 2.5 Months' Rain in 36 Hours After Once-in-a-Millennium Event — Newsweek

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

New York Sees 2.5 Months' Rain in 36 Hours After Once-in-a-Millennium Event — Newsweek | AIPROPX

0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Parts of eastern New York were inundated by more than two months' worth of rain in just 36 hours this week after a historic storm unleashed rainfall totals that meteorologists have described as a 1-in-1,000-year event. Communities near Albany recorded as much as 11.79 inches of rain, triggering severe flooding.

The storm brought widespread flooding to eastern New York as torrential rainfall overwhelmed roads, streams and drainage systems, prompting flash flood warnings in multiple communities. Meteorologists said the event stood out not only for its remarkable rainfall totals but for how quickly that rain fell, with some locations receiving several times their normal July precipitation in little more than a day.

The deluge underscored the growing threat posed by extreme rain events, which can turn normally manageable waterways into dangerous flood zones within hours and leave communities grappling with significant damage long after the rain ends.

"Part of Albany, New York surpassed its 1-in-1000 year threshold by almost 2”! And almost doubled the highest 24-hour rainfall of 5.60”," WFLA-TV chief meteorologist Jeff Berardelli posted on X. "A reminder, this does not mean it only happens once every 1000 years. It means there’s a less than .1% chance it happens in any given year. It’s just more likely to happen now-a-days then it used to be because our now warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor."

On July 29 alone, Albany received 5.45 inches of rain, which is nearly an inch above its average rainfall for the entire month of July, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Joe Villani told Newsweek . That total made it Albany's second-wettest calendar day on record.

Around 7 inches of rain fell in Albany from the storm, which contributed to the capital city experiencing its fourth-wettest July on record, Villani said. Rain totals were even higher in nearby towns, such as 11.79 inches in Schodack and 11.47 inches in Kinderhook from the storm.

Meteorologists and climate scientists say so-called "1-in-1,000-year" rainfall events are becoming more common because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. For every 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming, the atmosphere can hold about 7 percent more water vapor, increasing the potential for intense downpours when storms develop.

As global temperatures rise, heavy rainfall events that were once considered extraordinarily rare are occurring more frequently in many parts of the United States, according to research from the National Climate Assessment and other scientific bodies.

For this particular event, even though the worst of the rain has passed, a flood warning remains in place south of Albany and is set to expire at 6:30 p.m. local time Thursday.

"Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is still occurring in some areas," NWS Albany said in the flood warning. "A few roads remain closed due to flooding. Low-water crossings may be inundated with water and may not be passable. Expect areas of slow moving or standing water."

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anna Skinner and Dave Siminoff .