As the Brazil vs Norway FIFA World Cup game kicked off Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey’s East Rutherford, a flood watch was issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for eastern New Jersey.
Although the severest of the warnings were reserved for the areas in Connecticut and New York, New Jersey also remained at risk even as the match went on. As of now, the Brazil vs Norway FIFA World Cup Round of 16 game has not been interrupted by rain, as of halftime.
The flood watch started from Philadelphia, going northeast up to southern New England, covering NY, NJ and Long Island along the way. Extreme rainfall is possible in the areas around northern Philadelphia and almost all of New Jersey and New York could see flooding starting Sunday till early Tuesday, NBC5 meteorologist Tyler Jankoski reported.
In New Jersey, the NWS alert covers northeastern counties including Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Union and Hudson. Some communities surrounding MetLife Stadium under the broader threat of flooding.
New Jersey Weather Outlook
The risk of rain affecting the match remains high, with the second half of the game kicking off at 5:10pm ET. Parts of New Jersey are already experiencing significant rainfall, even as humid conditions prevail over MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, as of this writing.
Mikie Sherrill, the Governor of New Jersey, said in an alert on X that “localized” flooding is possible in parts of NJ on Sunday through early Tuesday.
“Hot and humid conditions will continue to impact New Jersey today, with showers and thunderstorms expected this afternoon through Monday evening,” Sherrill’s update read.
“Some storms may bring heavy downpours, frequent lightning, and damaging wind gusts,” it continued. “Localized flooding is possible, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas. A Flood Watch is in effect for central and northern New Jersey, where rainfall rates could exceed 2 inches per hour in the heaviest storms.”
Tri-State Flood And Rainfall Outlook
The warning also extends across a large swath of southeast New York. Areas under the flood watch include New York City’s five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Further, it also covers Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island.
Counties north of the city, including Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Putnam. Beyond New York and New Jersey, the flood watch also covers portions of southern Connecticut. The affected areas include Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex and New London counties
Forecasters caution that repeated rounds of heavy rainfall could overwhelm drainage systems and lead to flooding in low-lying and urban areas.
