Strong winds and heavy rains are headed for the New York City area on Sunday, with gusts potentially lingering into Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Winds are expected to ramp up to 30 to 35 miles an hour by Sunday afternoon and grow in strength throughout the day. Some parts of Queens and Long Island — and all of Brooklyn — could get hit with gusts as strong as 60 miles per hour.
“In those areas, stuff can be blowing around,” said James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the agency. “So make sure everything is secure.”
Though rains will get off to a moderate start on Sunday, heavier downpours will come overnight — when winds are also expected to reach their peak. Gusts could potentially damage trees and power lines, and widespread power outages are possible.
Two to three inches of rain are anticipated for the region, with the possibility of flash flooding in some areas. Forecasters warn of minor flooding in urban areas with poor drainage. Meteorologists also predict some flooding from small rivers, streams and creeks in northeast New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley and southwestern Connecticut.
Tomasini said the heaviest rains will be past the city in time for the peak commuting rush on Monday morning.
“Any of the heavier rain Monday morning is expected to be farther out east, like eastern Long Island,” he said.
“We could still just be seeing the 30 to 35 mile per hour wind gusts,” Tomasini said. “But the heaviest rain will be over at that time.”
The city issued a flood watch for Sunday afternoon to early Monday and Mayor Eric Adams warned residents to avoid roads on Sunday evening.
“We’re not expecting the weather to affect Monday’s commute at this time. Sunday would be a good day to avoid unnecessary travel, he said on X. “If you must travel, use public transportation.”
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