Applications of the New York State Mesonet Micronet Precipitation Data from Henri and Ida in 2021

New York City (NYC) received record breaking rainfall from Hurricanes Henri and Ida in 2021. In both events, some areas in NYC experienced over 9” of total accumulated precipitation, leading to deadly flash floods, interruptions in transportation systems, loss of power, and billions of dollars in estimated damages. With twenty two weather stations operating in NYC, the New York State Mesonet’s (NYSM) Micronet sites acquired a substantial amount of precipitation data from the pass of Henri and Ida– complementing other weather stations in the city. The impacts produced by both atmospheric phenomena in NYC will be studied, the benefits of operating NYSM sites during extreme precipitation events, and how it can aid in improving flash flood warnings and accuracy. This study motivates the possibility of implementing additional NYSM sites in the most vulnerable regions to flash floods in NYC.