NYC schools open today ; NJ flooding causes road closures – NBC New York

The second major winter storm of the season downed trees and flooded streets across the tri-state area overnight, triggering dozens of school opening delays Wednesday from Bergen County to Kingston as the National Weather Service warned of possible major flooding in parts of Long Island — even after the worst of the rain moved out.

Flood warnings across a swath of the region, from Fairfield, Connecticut, to the Bronx to Ocean County in New Jersey were set to expire after dawn, while coastal flood warnings for the Jersey Shore and South Shore of Long Island, as well as southern Queens, cautioned of up to 2 1/2 feet of inundation above ground level until mid-morning.

See updated weather alerts by neighborhood. Check the latest school closures and delays here.

A widespread 2 to 4 inches of rain was expected to fall on the tri-state before the storm moved out — and while final tallies are yet to come in, parts of the region had seen nearly 2 inches before 10 p.m. Tuesday — with many more hours of rain to go. That comes on top of the foot-plus of snow that fell in some spots this past weekendand as parts of New York and New Jersey still struggle to recover from last month’s floods.

River flooding continues to be a major concern over the next day or two around high tide cycles, especially given how swollen the bodies of water have been over the last month. High winds also tore down trees across the region, leaving tens of thousands in the dark at the peak of the storm. Gusts topping 60 mph were reported in New York’s Larchmont Harbor, while parts of Queens also saw winds breach that mark over the last 12 hours.

Latest Forecast From Storm Team 4

Track the rain using our exclusive StormTracker 4 interactive radar below.

Overnight, delays were being reported at JFK (3 hours) and LaGuardia (2 hours) with hundreds of flight cancellations across the tri-state, according to the FAA. Newark Liberty was also reporting extensive delays. Amtrak was also reporting a number of cancellationsaccording to the city’s emergency management office.

A number of road issues were being reported by the NYPD, including on the southbound FDR Drive, southbound Henry Hudson Parkway, northbound Bronx River Parkway, and northbound Cross Island Parkway.

LIRR needed to suspend service between Oyster Bay and Mineola around midnight due to a downed wire at Glen Cove. Metro-North was also reporting delays and the need to skip some stations due to downed trees. NYC Ferry‘s Rockaway and St. George routes have been suspended due to the high winds.

The Staten Island Ferry warned of delays and disruptions through Wednesday morning and recommends passengers leave extra time commuting. In New Jersey, a state of emergency order is expected to expire at noon Wednesday.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh declared a state of emergency starting Tuesday evening. A Red Cross shelter will be opening at 60 Temple Street for residents who choose to leave their homes ahead of the storm. High-water vehicles and water rescue boats were on standby to assist in rescuing residents if needed.

In nearby Newark, public safety officials released a list of commonly flooded intersections people should avoid.

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What’s next? Check out the 10-day forecast

Once this mess moves out, we’re looking at temperatures in the high 40s Wednesday as well as residual flooding. The weather briefly improves for the end of the week, with mostly sunny skies and mid-40s forecast for Thursday.

More rain could return as early as Friday evening. Thunder is also possible. This one could begin briefly as wintry precipitation for far northwest counties. Another significant batch of rain could be part of the system this weekend.

Next weekend looks iffy at this point, but there’s plenty of time for the forecast to change. By Sunday, though, expect it to feel like winter outside. Sign up for our newsletters here.