Flood — Rensselaer, New York

2023-12-18 to 2023-12-19 · near Buskirk, Rensselaer, New York

Event narrative

The Hoosic River at Eagle Bridge rose above flood stage, reaching moderate flood stage during the late afternoon hours on December 18 to the early morning hours on December 19. Water overflowed onto River Road next to the Buskirk covered bridge as well as County Route 103 between Route 67 and the covered bridge. In addition, houses were flooded near Eagle Bridge. Newspaper reported flood waters partially submerging a truck and trailer in Buskirk. Portions of Buskirk-West Hoosick Road were also closed.

Wider weather episode

An area of low pressure tracked up the East Coast and intensified in the process as it brought widespread moderate to heavy rainfall across eastern New York on December 18, 2023. Rainfall totals were between 2 and 5 inches with the highest amounts across the eastern Catskills. This rain led to both areal and river flooding across the region. Some rivers didn't recede until December 22.

States of Emergency were issued for the Town of Johnsburg and Warren County. Several area schools had an early dismissal on December 18 or delays on December 19 due to the flooding.

A 76-year-old woman died after their vehicle was swept off Cauterskill Road due to flood waters from Catskill Creek after driving around a traffic barrier blocking the road.

Gusty winds accompanied this event with gusts between 35 and 50 mph. This resulted in some localized power outages due to downed trees and wires.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.9507, -73.4476)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1154124. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.