Drenching rain will fall across New York City and the eastern US Sunday, as a creeping weather front drags across the region and raises the risk of flooding from Vermont to North Carolina.

Rain may fall at rates of 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) per hour through early Monday in New York, Bryan Ramsey, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Upton, New York, said Sunday. Because the storm is moving so slowly, accumulations may pile up in harder-hit areas.

“We are going to be looking at some very heavy rainfall, this will include the I-95 corridor,” said Andrew Orrison, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. “In general, the region up here has been wet, so we are looking at significant impacts.”

About 80 million people from Washington to Portland, Maine, may see a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours, according to forecasts. The weather threat has led to almost 200 canceled flights at New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, as well as Newark, according to FlightAware, an airline tracking company.

There’s also a slight risk of severe thunderstorms, hail and potential tornadoes in Washington and the Mid Atlantic, according to the US Storm Prediction Center. Many small streams and rivers may swell from their banks across the Northeast as rain rolls through.

New Yorkers are urged to keep a close eye on the forecasts and prepare for possible flooding.

“Throughout the weekend, parts of the state will continue to be at risk for flooding from storms bringing heavy rain, especially in those areas already hard-hit by rains and flooding over the past couple of days,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

Other parts of New England and the Mid-Atlantic, including Washington and Baltimore, had flood watches in effect on Sunday.

Author: Brian K. Sullivan and Alicia Diaz