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New York City had an earthquake in April and this summer, we had heat wave after unbearable heat wave. So if you thought mother nature was about to give us a break, you’d be wrong: September is set to usher in lots of rain to the New York City area, according to some forecasts.
In addition to rainy weather, this year's Atlantic hurricane season is set to be more active than normal, according to NOAA, due in part to near-record warm ocean temperatures.
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Although August was relatively calm, that’s about to change: A shift in weather patterns means that meteorologists are expecting between six and 10 tropical storm systems in September, matching the record-breaking 2020 season that brought 10, per AccuWeather. It's possible that we'll see multiple storms happening at the same time throughout the Atlantic Ocean.
Although in the U.S., the areas most likely to be hit with strong storms and hurricanes will be the Texas coast, Florida and the Carolinas, the impact of severe weather will extend far north, with some of those storms likely to impact the weather here. The uncharacteristically warm waters also make a hurricane hitting New York City next month a possibility, and the New York City Emergency Management urges New Yorkers to be prepared and aware of what to do in the case of a hurricane.
The last devastating hurricane to cause extensive damage throughout NYC was Hurricane Sandy, which hit the city on October 29, 2012. That hurricane destroyed approximately 300 homes, led to $19 billion in damages and led to several dozen deaths. According to NYC Emergency Management, the areas most likely to face emergency evacuations and flooding in the case of a strong storm include large swaths of Staten Island, The Rockaways and Coney Island, Red Hook, Greenpoint, and the outer edges of Lower Manhattan. You can check to see how prone your neighborhood is to flooding here.
Earlier this summer, Hurricane Beryl, which formed on June 28 and dissipated on July 11, was the earliest category-5 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. That hurricane left millions of people in Texas without power and created extensive flooding, and we can expect a lot more of that in September and October.
Although no one can predict the weather with a hundred percent accuracy, now would be a good time to learn some more about the resources the city provides in the case of an abnormally strong storm. Still, just because we might be getting lots of rain doesn't mean you have to stay inside all month—Check out our guide for the best things to do on a rainy day in NYC.