Syracuse, N.Y. -- A double dose of rain, from thunderstorms and remnants of Tropical Storm Fred, slammed parts of Central New York over the past two days, closing roads and prompting at least one evacuation.
It’s not over yet: A flood warning has been issued through 2 p.m. for nearly all of Madison County, northern Onondaga County and southern Oneida County. More than 50 creeks and rivers in those areas could still flood today as they swell with runoff, the National Weather Service said.
Roads were closed in multiple counties in Central New York and the Finger Lakes. Several roads in the town of Marcellus were impassable, according to National Weather Service reports.
In Onondaga County, scores of flooded roads and basements are being reported to the 911 center. Route 174 between Slate Hill Road and Route 20 and Route 290 between Clemons Road and Minoa Road are closed, according to New York alerts.
A foot of water covered Horan Road in the town of Camillus at 6 a.m., and residents were urged to seek other routes. Route 41 in Homer was closed due to flood and a debris jam.
Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management put out a warning at about 7:30 p.m. that many roadways are flooded and warned motorists not to drive through flooded roads.
A flood watch has been issued for Onondaga Creek until this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The stage is currently at 4.8 feet and flooding is expected at 5 feet. The weather service predicts the creek will rise to 5.1 feet this morning.
More than a foot of water flood Horan Road in Camillus Thursday morning, Aug. 18, 2021.Photo by Camillus Police Department
Flooding was reported in the village of Moravia, in Cayuga County, and in Branchport, Yates County.
Residents in the Oneida County town of Western, who were hit by a tornado in early July, were being evacuated from their homes as flood waters rose rapidly in the adjacent Mohawk River.
Over the past two days, nearly 6 inches of rain fell in Scipio Center, in southern Cayuga County, and in Tully, in southern Onondaga County. Tully and nearby Preble, in Cortland County, were flooded Wednesday morning by a line of strong thunderstorms that barreled through during the day. Those areas got another 2 inches overnight.
That’s exactly the area weather service forecasters were most worried about Wednesday as the tropical moisture from Fred loomed over New York.
“Because it’s so saturated, we’re really focusing there,” weather service hydrologist Jim Brewer said at a briefing Wednesday afternoon for the media and emergency management officials.
Rain could continue through the afternoon, dissipating by sunset as the last of Fred moves into New England. There’s a chance of thunderstorms Friday and through the weekend.
Nearly 6 inches of rain has fallen in the past 48 hours in parts of Central New York, leading to flash flooding in several counties.