Heavy rains trigger flash flooding across northeast U.S.

Flooding occurred in parts of New York, Connecticut and Vermont

By Rae Hodge

Staff Reporter

Published July 12, 2023 2:21PM (EDT)

Tyler Jovic, of Montpelier, carries his neighbor's dog to dry ground on Tuesday afternoon, July 11, 2023. Vermont has been under a State of Emergency since Sunday evening as heavy rains continued through Tuesday morning causing flooding across the state. (John Tully for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Tyler Jovic, of Montpelier, carries his neighbor's dog to dry ground on Tuesday afternoon, July 11, 2023. Vermont has been under a State of Emergency since Sunday evening as heavy rains continued through Tuesday morning causing flooding across the state. (John Tully for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

On Sunday and Monday, heavy rains in Vermont, New York and Connecticut caused flash floods across the area. As reported by Yahoo News on Tuesday, at least one person was killed by the floods and hundreds of motorists were left stranded after roads were washed out and rail service was suspended. West Point, N.Y. received up to 10 inches of rain. 

"They're calling this a once-in-a-thousand-year event," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reportedly noted in a Monday press conference.

The flooding was reportedly a result of an atmospheric high-pressure system near Greenland which has created more extreme weather patterns in Canada and the northeastern corridor of the US. The amount of time the high-pressure system has persisted in the same relative location — along with changes in the jet stream caused by rising global temperatures — has contributed to the increasing likelihood of future severe storms. 


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