Heavyrainthat washed away roads in part of CT may cause more flooding today, weather service warns

Jul. 10—"Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations," the weather service said in a bulletin for southern Connecticut.

"Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas," the statement continued.

The weather service said the heaviest rain is moving across New England with "several additional inches of rain" expected through Tuesday morning. Flood warnings have been issued for the Connecticut River in Hartford and the Thompsonville sectionof Enfield beginning Tuesday morning and late tonight, respectively.

"Minor" flooding is likely to occur in the Hartford area, according to the weather service. Downstream of Hartford, residential areas through Rocky Hill and some roadways will be affected, the weather service said. Upstream, Windsor Locks, East Windsor and Windsor will be hit.

Flooding in the Thompsonville area will be somewhat more severe, according to the weather service.

"At 18.0 feet, significant and widespread flooding along the river can be expected from the Massachusetts towns of Agawam and Longmeadow, through the northern Connecticut towns of Suffield and Enfield," the weather service said, noting the water level is expected to peak at 17.7 feet early Wednesday morning.

Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or through flooded areas, the weather service said. Pedestrians should exercise caution when walking near riverbanks.

Nearly 7 inches of rain has fallen over the past 24 hours in parts of Litchfield County. To the west, up to 8 inches fell on Hudson Valley in New York, the New York Times reported, inundating the region and causing whole sections of road to wash away.

As much as 3 inches of additional rain is expected to fall on Connecticut today, with higher amounts forecast for the western and northwestern part of the state.

In Norfolk, a Litchfield County town in the northwestern corner of Connecticut, floodwaters washed away roads on Sunday and prompted a local declaration of emergency.

Overnight rain in the county triggered a flash flood warning until 8 a.m., with the weather service advising that creeks, streams, highways, underpasses and other areas with poor drainage could see flash flooding.

About a half-inch to 2 inches of rain had already fallen in Litchfield County by Monday morning, with an additional 1 to 2 inches expected, the weather service said. "Areas hard hit by heavy rain yesterday are especially prone to flooding," the agency said in a bulletin for the area.

Goshen First Selectman Todd Carusillo has issued a state of emergency. Eventually, he said, he is hoping to get FEMA funds for road repairs.

There are multiple flood damaged roads, including the southbound lane of East Street North that washed away.

Carusillo said some residents helped to corral five cows that fled from their flooded fields and were walking down Route 272. The wranglers managed to get the cows into the owner's front yard and fence them in, Carusillo said.

A few motorists had to abandon their stalled cars after attempting to drive through floodwaters, he said.

It wasn't the only area to see flooding. In Greenwich, police warned residents Sunday night that "numerous" roads in town were flooded and asked residents to stay home.

"First responders are actively doing water rescues," Greenwich Police said on Facebook. "We are asking all residents to stay home if possible as road travel is not safe."

As of Monday morning, Greenwich police said Shore Road in the central part of town remained closed due to flooding, but all other roads had reopened.

Police said no crashes were reported due to the weather. However, "there were two reports of vehicles that got stuck trying to get through street flooding," Greenwich Police Capt. John Slusarz said Monday morning. He said the occupants of both vehicles were extricated without injuries.

Flooding from the heavy rains killed at least one person in New York, where the storm inundated communities along the Hudson Valley. Authorities said the victim, a woman in her 30s, was swept away by the waters and drowned while trying to evacuate her home, the Associated Press reported.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for Orange and Ontario counties.

Metro-North suspended train service on part of its Hudson and Harlem lines Monday morning. Hudson Line train service has been suspended north of the Croton-Harmon train station, while the Harlem Line is suspended north of the Southeast station, the transit service said.

Metro-North said the storm left behind "high water, trees boulders and other debris" on the tracks, making the Hudson Line north of Croton-Harmon "impassable."

"Crews will be working through the night to evaluate damage and clear tracks of fallen trees, mud, boulders and water that in places has risen above running rails," Metro North said in a statement. The rail service said areas are also being inspected for washout from the heavy rains.

The work may be delayed due to additional severe weather, Metro-North said.

On the Harlem Line, stations north of Southeast are out of service due to waters that have climbed above the rail lines. The flooding has also caused washout on the rail right of way south of Dover in Dutchess County, Metro-North said.

Metro-North said "limited" bus service will replace trains on the Hudson Line between Croton-Harmon and Poughkeepsie. Buses have also replaced trains on the upper Harlem line between Southeast and Wassaic.

"Last night, the Hudson Valley received a month's worth of rain in just a few hours, having a severe impact on Metro-North tracks," Metro-North Railroad President President Catherine Rinaldi said Monday in a statement. "Crews continue to work around-the-clock, and to limit the impact on customers, we were able to secure limited bus service to Poughkeepsie and Wassaic."

Service will be partially restored on the Hudson Line by Tuesday, according to Metro-North. Starting in the morning, Hudson Line trains will run between Grand Central Terminal and Peekskill at least once per hour, Metro-North said. Limited bus service will still be provided on the Hudson Line between Croton-Harmon and Poughkeepsie afterward, and buses will continue running on the Harlem Line at least through midday Tuesday.

"The work will continue without stopping into Tuesday as we work to restore full service on the Hudson and Harlem lines as soon as possible," Rinaldi said.

Photos shared by Metro-North showed train tracks submerged by floodwaters at the Ossining train station, and floodwaters washing over the tracks by the banks of the Hudson River south of the Bear Mountain Bridge.

Thousands of U.S. flights were delayed or cancelled Sunday amid the weather, according to data from FlightAware, a flight tracking service. In Connecticut, two flights were cancelled and 20 others were delayed Monday at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. One flight at Tweed Airport in New Haven was reported delayed, while Westchester County Airport reported 25 delays and four cancellations.

Connecticut State police also warned motorists to prepare for flooding when venturing out on the roads.

A spokesperson for the state police said the agency did not have any reports of injuries due to the weather.

The floodwaters closed several roads in Litchfield County. As of Monday morning, a section of Route 7 was closed in New Milford between Fort Hill and Sunny Valley roads due to the Housatonic River overflowing, the state Department of Transportation said.

In Norfolk, Route 272 was closed between Route 263 and Bruey Road because the road washed out, the DOT said. In Canaan, Route 63 was closed between Route 126 and Barnes Road due to "water over the road," the agency said.

Some power outages have also been reported. As of around 7:30 p.m., Eversource reported 341 outages in Connecticut, slightly up from the 259 reported half an hour earlier. Of those 341 outages, 54 were reported in Canterbury, 64 were reported in Granby and 122 were reported in Plainfield.

The outages have significantly dropped after more than 1,100, including over 500 in Norwalk, were reported early in the morning. An Eversource spokesperson said those outages were due to a tree that came down on a power line around 3 a.m. near Fillow Street in Norwalk. The outages were restored by around 7 a.m., the spokesperson said.

After a stretch of temperatures hovering around 90 degrees, the high on Monday will only reach the mid- to upper-70s.

The rain will give way to mostly sunny skies on Tuesday, with highs in the mid to upper-80s. Wednesday will be sunny as well, with highs climbing into the low 90s.