© Vincent DiSalvio / The Journal NewsVehicles were trapped in a municipal parking lot entirely flooded along with Memorial Park in Spring Valley June 23, 2011.
Scattered power outages, mostly in northern Westchester and Putnam counties, caused some schools to send students home early.
With a chance of showers and thunderstorms again today after 10 a.m., the weather service has issued a flash flood watch through tonight for the entire tri-state area. Full forecast for today and the weekend.
Downtown Nyack looked like a small version of the Mississippi Delta, with a river running down Broadway faster than cars and trucks usually travel.
"We've been hit pretty hard," Rockland Fire and Emergency Services Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. said of the downpour that started just before 11:30 a.m. Thursday. "The ground being saturated makes matters worse. We're getting pounded."
The rain that fell so ferociously and the flooding that followed was likely the worst since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, leading Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef to declare a state of emergency.
At its height, the rain fell at a rate of 2 inches an hour.
In Stamford, Conn., the storm turned deadly when a tree fell onto a car on the southbound Merritt Parkway about 2 p.m. A man pulled from the car, 74-year-old Norman Gamache of Westport, Mass., later died of his injuries. One of two passengers in Gamache's car was injured. Authorities say 84-year-old Goldie Gitlin of North Dartmouth, Mass., was taken to a hospital for a broken sternum and minor cuts.
The crash caused massive delays in both directions, affecting traffic on the Hutchinson River Parkway in Westchester County.
Flooding rendered many other local roadways impassable and trapped drivers in their cars. Others were forced to abandon their vehicles altogether, leaving them to the mercy of the rising waters. The troubles caused extensive delays.
About 1:15 p.m., Westchester County police reported closures on the Saw Mill River Parkway between police headquarters and the Grant Street exit in Pleasantville. By 8 p.m., parts of the roadway remained closed, police said.
Flooding was also reported on the Bronx River Parkway; the Main Street exit in White Plains was closed Thursday evening.
In Briarcliff Manor, the rains caused serious flooding in and around Law Memorial Park.
"The pond merged with the swimming pool," a shocked village manager, Philip Zegarelli, said Thursday afternoon. He estimated there was at least 5 inches of quick-flowing rain into the park area off Pleasantville Road.
The village closed the pool until further notice and temporarily moved its recreation office to Village Hall. The public library, which backs up to the park, is also closed until further notice.
Consolidated Edison, New York State Electric and Gas Corp. and Orange and Rockland Utilities Inc. all reported scattered outages during the day Thursday. By evening, they had handled most of the issues.
Many high school seniors awaiting their graduations were forced to wait a little longer when Nyack and Clarkstown South high schools postponed their ceremonies Thursday evening. Nyack's ceremony has been moved to 8 p.m. tonight. Clarkstown moved its ceremony to 10 a.m. Saturday.
Hastings and Sleepy Hollow high schools were among those forced to move their graduations indoors.
AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Edwards said Thursday evening that the storm system is expected to linger in the region today before completely moving toward Quebec. Temperatures will go as high as 80 degrees, but scattered showers and thunderstorms could bring some damaging wind gusts to the area.
Moving into the weekend, however, Edwards was optimistic.
"This system will continue to lift north and east into tomorrow night and Saturday," Edwards said. "Probably, something could be around tomorrow evening, but I think we'll dry out for the most part."
Saturday is expected to be partly sunny with temperatures again reaching 80 degrees. On Sunday, the clouds will likely break, Edwards said, leaving sunny skies and highs near 78 degrees.
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