NYC weather: Rain to hit in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael

Oct. 11--New Yorkers can expect showers and thunderstorms on Thursday in the aftermath a hurricane that slamed the East Coast further south the day prior.

Rain is expected by late morning Thursday, according to the National Weather Service; expect those showers to upgrade to heavy rainfall with thunder later in the day.

A flash flood watch remained in effect for the city from noon on Thursday through 6 p.m. on Friday.

Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, hitting the Florida Panhandle with 155 mph winds. It is considered the strongest storm to ever hit Florida's Panhandle and the third-most powerful storm on record to make landfall in the continental United States.

Its strength waned as it pushed into Georgia. Early on Thursday, it was downgraded to a tropical storm, with top sustained winds diminishing to 60 miles per hour.

Michael initially hit northwest of the town of Mexico Beach, flooding towns as authorities braced for a devastating storm surge.

About 500,000 Floridians spanning 20 counties were ordered to evacuate before the hurricane hit, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. However, Brad Kieserman, of the American Red Cross, said as many as 320,000 people disregarded the order.

As of early Thursday, more than 700,000 homes and businesses were without power in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida, freeing up federal assistance to supplement state and local disaster responses.

New York City could be clipped by the remnants of the storm. While Friday is expected to be sunny, there is a 30 percent chance of rain throughout the day on Saturday.

With Reuters

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