More rain, flooding for already drenched East Coast – Rain records set throughout the mid-Atlantic
By Barbara Goldberg; Additional reporting by Dave Warner; Editing by Jerry Norton 15 August 2011 NEW YORK (Reuters) – An unstoppable conveyor belt of rain drenched the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Monday, adding to record-breaking precipitation that triggered flood watches and a local state of emergency at the start of the workweek. Severe weather in the Northern Plains was also predicted, with flooding downpours, wind gusts greater than 60 miles per hour and large hail possible from the northern Rockies through the Dakotas and Northern Nebraska, said meteorologist Brian Edwards on Accuweather.com. Texas, gripped by triple-digit temperatures and in the midst of the worst drought ever, welcomed rain of up to six inches. But rain didn’t come early enough in Parker County, known as the cutting horse capital of the world, where authorities said nine horses died of dehydration after being left out in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit without water, hay or feed. “With the temperatures as high as they have been, it’s imperative to keep fresh water and adequate food for any animal,” said Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler, who said investigators were weighing possible criminal charges. On the East Coast, rain that pummeled the area on Sunday continued into Monday. Flood watches were issued for New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, according to the National Weather Service. […] [R]ainfall records were shattered across the area on Sunday, including at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which had the wettest day on record with 7.80 inches, smashing the 1984 record of 6.27 inches, said meteorologist Meghan Evans on Accuweather.com. “Nearly twice the normal monthly rainfall was delivered in one day,” Evans said of the New York City area. Rain records were set throughout the mid-Atlantic on Sunday, including Newark with 6.4 inches (old record 1.1 inches set in 1999) and Philadelphia with 4.8 inches (1.7 inches in 1977). […]
That amount of rain was totally unexpected.