The US Military Academy at West Point on the Hudson River has been flooded, stranding washed-out cars and flooding homes in the residential area.
Images of Thayer Road, which leads to the prestigious New York military base, showed dangerously deep rainwater that flooded a number of vehicles on Sunday night.
A resident posted the photo and wrote the stark warning: “Find higher ground.” West Point is estimated to have received 3.5 inches of rain per hour so far.
Another clip showed a road outside the Grant residential area near the military center completely flooded with murky rainwater – with a car stuck in the middle.
Several people could be seen standing knee-deep in the water trying to pull the car to safety amid the relentless deluge.
The oldest of the five U.S. service academies, West Point trains cadets for enlistment in the U.S. military—and is home to approximately 4,200 students.
The US Military Academy at West Point on the Hudson River has flooded, stranding cars while flooding homes in the residential area
Several people could be seen standing knee-deep in the water trying to pull the car to safety
The roads to the historic military camp were flooded
Roads were so inundated by the heavy rainfall near the military base that water flowed down the street like a river, sending garbage cans and other small items downstream.
The rain continued to fall as the shocked locals recorded the ordeal and thunder erupted in the background.
Stony Point, further down the Hudson from West Point, saw people evacuate their homes because of the torrential downpours. Roads and houses in the area were completely washed away.
Congressman Mike Lawler wrote, “Significant flooding in Stony Point—homes and cars—and many people evacuated. Thank you to all our first responders on site. Everybody stay off the roads as the flash flood warning is still in effect and the roads are flooded and washed away.”
Up to 3.5 inches of rain per hour is expected in Kiryas Joel, New City, Woodbury, West Point and Cold Spring.
This is because millions of people are under a Flood Watch as the soaking rain will drench the east coast from North Carolina to northern New England.
Stony Point, further down the Hudson from West Point, saw people evacuate their homes due to the torrential downpours
Cars in Stony Point were almost completely submerged
Congressman Mike Lawler wrote, “Significant flooding in Stony Point—homes and cars—and many people evacuated. Thank you to all our first responders on site. Everybody stay off the roads as the flash flood warning is still in effect and the roads have been flooded and washed away.”
A slowly advancing cold front will arrive on Sunday evening with heavier thunderstorms and heavy rain that may continue for the next few days, The National Weather Service said.
The weather is already affecting flights – with a total of 1,355 flights within or from the US canceled as of Sunday afternoon.
According to FlightAware, 200 flights have been canceled from New York’s LaGuardia, 110 flights from John F. Kennedy and 147 flights from Newark have been cancelled.
It comes just two days after storms ravaged the East Coast, causing mudslides in Vermont and flooding in Northern Virginia, where several motorists had to be rescued after driving through flooded streets in Pentagon City.
Now more severe weather is coming and about 80 million people from Washington to Portland, Maine, can get a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours. Bloomberg reported citing forecasts.
Millions of people are under a Flood Watch as the East Coast from North Carolina to New England will see drench rain just as the work week begins. Pictured: The second set of storms caused mudslides in Vermont, forcing police to close at least one major road
Most major cities along Interstate 95 are covered by the Flood Watch, including Washington, Philadelphia, and New York.
There are several other places on the East Coast that could be hit hard by the storms and experience significant flooding.
Some of these areas include Hatteras in North Carolina, Norfolk in Virginia, Binghamton in New York, as well as both Hartford and New Haven in Connecticut.
According to Bryan Ramsey, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Upton, New York, because the storm is moving so slowly, buildup could build up in the hardest hit areas. He added that rain could fall at a rate of two inches per hour in New York until early Monday.
New Yorkers should be prepared for flooding, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
“During the weekend, parts of the state remain at risk of flooding from storms that bring heavy rains, especially in those areas that have already been hit hard by rain and flooding in recent days.”
But severe weather is expected all along the east coast, much of which is still soaked from the latest storms.
“We’re going to look at very heavy rainfall, including the I-95 corridor,” said Andrew Orrison, a forecaster with the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. “In general, the region has been wet here, so we’re looking at significant effects.”
Water rescues were needed in Virginia after drivers ventured into high water in Pentagon City
Last week there were multiple water rescues in Northern Virginia after drivers ventured into high water that had taken the streets of Pentagon City.
At least three vehicles became stuck in high tide along S. Joyce Street between Army Navy Drive and Columbia Pike, with several people stranded – including an elderly person with a disability, either in their vehicles or on the median.
A report suggested that the water was so high that at least one of the vehicles floated. Everyone was pulled from the water and no injuries were reported.
And in Vermont, mudslides were reported in the central part of the state, forcing police to close at least one major road in Killington.
Nearly 20 feet of debris from a mudslide washed down U.S. Route 4, the primary east-west highway through the region, on Friday afternoon, WCVB reported.
Killington jury member Jim Haff compared the flood to Irene, the tropical storm that caused flooding in Vermont, Massachusetts and other parts of New England in 2011.
Nearly 20 feet of debris from a mudslide washed over U.S. Route 4 on Friday
It has been reported that about 1 to 2 inches of rain will fall in the region through Tuesday. But the highest totals are expected in the Northeast and New England.
Farther north, New York’s Hudson Valley and Albany, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire can get 2 to 3 inches of rain. And some areas may see rainfall totals of between 3 and 5 inches.
Meanwhile, states in the South, including Florida and Texas, continue to sizzle in heat with peaks in the mid-90s, which is close to record high temperatures for the Florida peninsula.
In South Florida, these hot temperatures combined with high humidity will lead to heat indices in the 105-110 degree range, according to the NWS.