On September 29, 2023, the New York City metro area experienced devastating flash flooding caused by persistent heavy downpours. The intense rainfall led to life-threatening flash flooding that turned streets into raging rivers, flooded subways and led to the evacuation of hospitals and schools. AccuWeather For Business helped companies be the best prepared and saved lives by providing the earliest advance notice, the most accurate forecasts, and the best description of impacts.
The heavy rain persisted for several hours, with rainfall rates surpassing 3 inches per hour. As the rain intensified, AccuWeather Storm Warning meteorologists issued a SkyGuard® Flash Flood Warning that EXCLUSIVELY provided 17 ADDITIONAL minutes of life-saving advance notice for imminent flash flooding in parts of Western Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan when compared to the warnings issued by the public government and other sources.
As Wednesday and Thursday progressed, the forecast became more dire: AccuWeather was the first to highlight the potential for flooding on Friday, issuing a "watch for flooding" forecast on Wednesday, a day in ADVANCE of the National Weather Service (NWS), which issued a Flood Watch only on Thursday afternoon.
AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologists issued a Storm Potential Notice (SPN) early Thursday morning, more than 8 hours in ADVANCE of the NWS and other sources issuing a Flood Watch. AccuWeather’s SPN forecasted downpours and flash flooding across NYC, emphasizing the risk of rainfall rates exceeding 1 inch per hour, particularly in urban areas.
AccuWeather For Business expert meteorologists were the first to predict "street flooding and more serious flash flooding in places," emphasizing the rapid escalation of life-threatening situations in urban areas like NYC. By highlighting these dangers, AccuWeather helped businesses be best prepared and helped save lives.
AccuWeather accurately forecasted the risk of 4-8 inches of rain in specific locations, including Brooklyn, Queens, and parts of Nassau County. Other sources provided less precise estimates, demonstrating AccuWeather's superior forecasts. AccuWeather was also extremely accurate with where the rain would occur.
AccuWeather's accurate forecasts and advanced warnings significantly impacted key industries in New York City. Here’s how AccuWeather for Business clients benefited during the flash flood incident:
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Be proactive with AccuWeather SkyGuard Warnings backed by Superior Accuracy™, which will deliver site-specific alerts and warnings well before severe weather hits, giving you much-needed time to prepare.
Benefits of SkyGuard® Warnings:
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The benefits of AccuWeather go beyond protecting the lives of your employees and customers. They will also reduce your operational costs through better planning, better mitigation efforts and allow you to make better weather-impacted decisions. AccuWeather forecasts will help you make the right decisions sooner and faster, keeping your people safer, saving you money overall, eliminating angst and stress, reducing your risk and liability, reducing losses and better protecting your reputation.
Serving more than half of the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of businesses globally, AccuWeather is recognized as the most accurate source of weather forecasts, advanced warnings and data in the world.