Heavy rain causes flooding across parts of central, upstate NY

Heavy rain across much of upstate NY Sunday night and Monday has left roads flooded and has left one person dead.

A woman in her 30s was swept away and killed by floodwaters in the Hudson Valley, police said. More than eight inches of rain fell in Orange County in just three hours late Sunday. The rain continued Monday across parts of eastern and central New York. In Oswego County, more than 3.5 inches of rain fell in Central Square over three house Monday morning.

As a result of the heavy rain, the Interstate 81 Southbound ramp at Exit 33 in Parish was closed for several hours Monday, along with several roads in the towns of Parish, Mexico and Williamstown. The Oswego County Sheriff's Office asked drivers to use caution on the roads due to flooding.

Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke Monday in Orange County, where roads and bridges have been washed out by flooding.

"Homeowners need to be prepared. You need to think about your escape route," Hochul said. "You need to anticipate the worst case scenario, where the floodwater is rising in your home. What are your next steps?"

Hochul urged New Yorkers to have food, water, and medicine stocked up in case of an emergency. The state has seen record breaking weather events in the last year, including the Buffalo blizzard that left 47 people dead and hazardous air conditions from Canadian Wildfires. Hochul compared Monday’s flooding to those two climate events.

"My friends, this is the new normal and we in government, working with our partners on the ground have to work with our communities to build up resiliency, to be prepared for the worst, because the worst continues to happen," Hochul said.

Hochul has declared a state of emergency for Orange, Ontario, Oswego, Rockland, Clinton and Essex counties.

A flood watch is in effect for much of central New York until 8:00 p.m.