Parts of New York City and New Jersey were under a tornado watch threat Saturday as strong to severe thunderstorms moved into the region, with a Flash Flood Warning in effect through 2 p.m. The storms could bring flooding downpours, damaging wind gusts and a few isolated tornadoes.
The warning covered parts of New York City and New Jersey, while New Jersey, New York City and southern Westchester were under a flood watch ahead of the storms. The greatest risk for severe weather was expected between about 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., with the threat lingering until around midnight before the front cleared the area.
Saturday’s setup came after smoke from Canadian wildfires returned to New York City and the Tri-State area, and air quality reached an AQI of 173 early Saturday. Shifting winds were expected to keep pushing smoke across the region through midday, while the first scattered showers were expected during the afternoon.
The rain could help clear some of the smoke, but the same system also raised the risk of heavy downpours and flash flooding. That left the region facing two hazards at once: poorer air early in the day and then stronger storms later, with the most intense window still ahead.
For readers in the warning area, the practical takeaway was to plan around the 2 p.m. Flash Flood Warning, then stay alert through the evening as the severe-weather risk built toward the 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. window. If a tornado watch is issued, it would signal that conditions could support tornado development; if not, the threat remains tied to the isolated tornado risk already mentioned for the storms themselves.
