Flash Flooding and Flooding in New York, January 3, 1999

Name: Flash Flooding and Flooding in New York, January 3, 1999
Start: 1999-01-03T10:30
End: 1999-01-03T13:18
Location: New York

January 3, 1999 · NWS OKX · 10 events in 9 counties and zones

A light intermittent mix of sleet and freezing rain began just after midnight on Sunday. However, as southeast winds increased, gusting from 45 to 50 mph, surface temperatures quickly rose above freezing from the immediate coast west during the night.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $500,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OKX wrote it up.

With cold air in place along the surface, as a strong low pressure system moved northeast across the Great Lakes, a second low formed over the Mid-Atlantic States and moved northeast across Long Island during Sunday afternoon, January 3rd.A light intermittent mix of sleet and freezing rain began just after midnight on Sunday. As an icy coating developed on road surfaces below freezing, some significant traffic accidents occurred across the region from midnight through 3 am.However, as southeast winds increased, gusting from 45 to 50 mph, surface temperatures quickly rose above freezing from the immediate coast west during the night. An intense narrow band of torrential rain developed within a large area of steady rain. Rain fell on a frozen ground surface at rates as high as 3 inches per hour. This resulted in rapid runoff that caused widespread serious flooding of low-lying and poor drainage areas mainly from Kings County east across Central Suffolk County. Life-threatening flash flooding occurred in a 30 block area of Springfield Gardens (Queens) where people required rescue from their flooded basement apartments. Water rose to within 6 inches of the ceilings in several apartments. Many locations along the Belt and Southern State Parkways, the Long Island Expressway, and Northern State Parkway were closed due to serious flooding.Here are selected rainfall amounts across the region:o In Nassau County, from 3.69 inches at Sea Cliff to 5.02 inches at Merrick.o In Western and Central Suffolk County, from 2.86 inches at Sayville to 4.51 inches at Farmingdale.o In Queens County, from 2.53 inches at LaGuardia Airport to 3.78 inches at Kennedy Airport.o In Manhattan, a new daily record of 2.42 inches was measured at Central Park.o In Westchester County, from 1.67 inches at Yorktown Heights to 2.84 inches at White Plains.o In Eastern Suffolk County, from 1.08 inches at Montauk to 2.38 inches at Westhampton.o In Rockland County, 2.23 inches was measured in Suffern. Rainfall rates of 2.44 inches per hour was measured at the Clarkstown North HS Weather Station in New City and 2.28 inches per hour at the Felix Festa MS Weather Station in West Nyack.Strong gusty winds combined with heavy rain caused scattered power outages as tree limbs fell mainly from Nassau County east across Central Suffolk County.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood, 3 flood, 3 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Rockland

When: January 3, 10:30 AM EST
Where: Rockland County, Countywide
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.152, -74.024 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Richmond

When: January 3, 10:55 AM EST
Where: Richmond County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.583, -74.150 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, New York

When: January 3, 11:00 AM EST
Where: New York County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.774, -73.970 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Bronx

When: January 3, 11:05 AM EST
Where: Bronx County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.827, -73.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Westchester

When: January 3, 11:10 AM EST
Where: Westchester County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.152, -73.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Nassau

When: January 3, 11:27 AM EST
Where: Nassau County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.732, -73.585 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Suffolk

When: January 3, 12:10 PM EST
Where: Suffolk County, West Central Portion
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.941, -72.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Suffolk

When: January 3, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Suffolk County, Eastside
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.941, -72.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Kings

When: January 3, 1:18 PM EST
Where: Kings County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.634, -73.950 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Queens

When: January 3, 1:18 PM EST
Where: Queens County, Countywide
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.658, -73.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, January 1999

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5696168, 5696162, 5696065, 5696066, 5696064, 5696165, 5696166, 5696167, 5696163, 5696164.