Severe Storms, High Winds, Flooding Possible Wednesday

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — It's hot and steamy, so of course we've got a cold front coming in expected to bring with it more heavy rain and thunderstorms. The National Weather Service has issued updated hazardous weather outlooks for Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester counties.

The main threats from the front are localized flooding plus damage from strong winds.

"It is projected to arrive between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.," said Alex Marra and Bill Potter of Hudson Valley Weather. "So if you have plans in this time frame, you will want to take this into account."

New York state officials activated the emergency operations center, as the front is forecast to create heavy downpours across the whole state as it moves in from the west.

Locally heavy downpours could cause localized urban and low lying flooding especially for locations that received heavy rain on Tuesday. Thunderstorms could produce damaging winds resulting in downed trees and wires, power outages and isolated structural damage. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out with this storm.

"With storms and strong wind gusts forecast for most of the state today, New Yorkers should take necessary precautions and be prepared before potentially severe weather strikes," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo in an announcement warning New Yorkers about the possibility of severe weather. "The State is ready to assist our local partners with personnel, equipment and supplies and I urge residents to check on neighbors who may need a helping hand."

Showers and thunderstorms are already falling over western New York, as the radar snapshot from the National Weather Service shows.

The potential severe threat will not begin until this afternoon, Cuomo said in the announcement. By noon, a line of storms is expected in the Finger Lakes and western Southern Tier and western Central New York. By 3:00 pm, look for the storms to be near the middle of the State, reaching the Capital District by 4:00 pm and roughly I-84 around 7 pm. Keep in mind, these are estimates based on how quickly the system is expected to move.

As storms move through the state, the National Weather Service may issue weather watches and warnings throughout New York State. For a complete listing of weather watches and warnings, visit the National Weather Service website.

Radar image via NWS at 10:17 a.m.