{"id":345393,"date":"2026-09-13T03:36:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T03:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/345393\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T03:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T03:36:19","slug":"nyc-issues-flash-flood-warning-opens-51-overnight-shelters-ahead-of-sunday-storm-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/345393\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC issues flash flood warning, opens 51 overnight shelters ahead of Sunday storm"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Brief<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">NYC Emergency Management issued a weather alert and a Flood Watch from 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Sunday, warning of potential flash flooding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The city is opening 51 safe overnight locations at public schools starting Saturday at 10:00 p.m., especially for basement apartment residents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Rainfall rates could reach 2 to 2.5 inches per hour between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., with eastern Brooklyn and Queens facing the highest risk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">NEW YORK &#8211; New York City Emergency Management issued a weather alert and is urging residents\u2014particularly those living in basement apartments and flood-prone areas\u2014to prepare for heavy rain and potential flash flooding early Sunday morning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for all five boroughs effective from 4:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13.<\/p>\n<p>Safe overnight locations open<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">What we know<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">To protect vulnerable residents, the city is opening 51 safe overnight locations at New York City Public Schools beginning at 10:00 p.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Officials strongly encourage residents living in basement apartments or below-grade dwellings to move to higher ground before going to sleep, whether that means staying with an upstairs neighbor, a family member, or using one of the city&#8217;s overnight shelters. Service animals and pets are welcome at all safe locations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Residents can locate a shelter by visiting on.nyc.gov\/SafeLocations or by calling 311. People with disabilities or access needs should also contact 311 for assistance.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"&lt;div&gt;Flash flood threat outlook Saturday and Sunday (FOX Weather)&lt;\/div&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/wnyw_fox_local_articles_540\/0a6f202a09e8f53890c10b04fd454db2.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Flash flood threat outlook Saturday and Sunday (FOX Weather)<\/p>\n<p>What to expect<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Rain is expected to begin during the early morning hours Sunday, with the most severe weather and flash flood risks occurring between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Forecasts show the city receiving between 1.5 to 3 inches of rain, with higher totals expected in eastern portions of the city. The strongest storms could dump 2 to 2.5 inches of rain per hour, a rate that can quickly overwhelm drainage systems and trigger flash flooding in streets, low-lying areas, and subway stations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A slight shift in the storm system could bring 5 to 7 inches of localized rain to eastern Brooklyn and Queens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Heavy rain can overwhelm streets and drainage systems in minutes, and the most intense rain is expected when many New Yorkers will be asleep,&#8221; said NYCEM Commissioner Christina Farrell. &#8220;Do not wait until you see water rising to make a plan.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani noted that city agencies activated the Flash Flood Emergency Plan on Thursday and crews have been working to clear catch basins and prepare emergency teams.<\/p>\n<p>Safety reminders<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">What you can do<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">City officials advise residents to take the following precautions ahead of Sunday morning:<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If you live in a basement apartment, know your exits and be prepared to move to a higher floor before flooding begins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Avoid driving, biking, or walking through flooded streets or underpasses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Keep essential medical equipment, phones, and devices charged overnight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Check on neighbors, family members, and older adults who may need extra help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Sign up for emergency notifications by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692, or visit nyc.gov\/notify to register for automated basement apartment phone alerts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Source<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This article was written using information provided in a press release from New York City Emergency Management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Brief NYC Emergency Management issued a weather alert and a Flood Watch from 4:00 a.m. to 12:00&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[56441,15549,15353,109996,534,9,56,63,65,64,129395,12068,14681],"class_list":["post-345393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-basement-apartment","tag-basement-apartments","tag-flash-flooding","tag-flood-watch","tag-national-weather-service","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-overnight-shelters","tag-sunday-morning","tag-weather-alert"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}