By Joseph Ax
NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York Governor Kathy Hochul and her acting counterpart in New Jersey said they were declaring states of emergency for areas facing the threat of extreme flash floods forecast on Thursday for much of the Eastern Seaboard.
The National Weather Service posted flash flood warnings along parts of the Northeast urban corridor stretching from the Washington-Baltimore region north through Philadelphia, Wilmington, New Jersey, and into the New York City metropolitan area.
Severe thunderstorm watches were also in effect across much of the Interstate-95 corridor.
Up to 5 inches (12.7 cm) of rain was forecast in the heaviest bands of showers expected across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson River Valley, with rainfall rates that could exceed 2 inches per hour, according to a statement from Hochul.
"I am urging all New Yorkers to stay vigilant, stay informed, and use caution as we expect excessive rainfall with the potential for flash flooding," Hochul said.
New Jersey was bracing for rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches generally with localized downpours that could produce 5 to 7 inches, acting New Jersey Governor Tahesha Way said in her declaration.
She warned that the extreme rainfall could trigger landslides, rock slides and flash flooding of roadways across New Jersey, with additional hazards posed by damaging winds from thunderstorms.
"Residents should remain off the roads and indoors unless absolutely necessary," Way, the lieutenant governor, said in a statement. She is temporarily serving as the state's chief executive while Governor Phil Murphy was out of the state on vacation with his family.
The Weather Service attributed the storm threat to a cold front that was bringing a combination of unstable air mass and exceptional amounts of atmospheric moisture to the region.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York; Writing and additional reporting Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra Maler)
