News

Riverhead road reopens; flash flood warning in effect

A portion of Roanoke Avenue closed last night due to flooding has been reopened for the morning commute, Riverhead Town Highway Superintendent George “Gio” Woodson said Monday morning.

The road was closed between Middle Road and Joyce Drive about 8 p.m. Sunday due to severe flooding in the area. Mr. Woodson said it was impassable for a few motorists who pulled their cars over to the side of the street to wait out the storm.

The road opened about 8 a.m., he said.

Highway workers did not have to pump out the water as the rain emptied into nearby storm drains, he said.

“The drains were working, but you got to give the drains time to work,” Mr. Woodson said.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service is predicting another one to two inches of rain for the region and has issued a flash flood warning for parts of the tri-state area including Suffolk County. Two to seven inches have already fallen in some areas.

“Flash flooding is a very dangerous situation. You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should flash flood warnings be issued,” the Weather Service states on its website.

Forecasters say scattered thunderstorms and rain are expected until Tuesday night. A high temperature near 72 and east winds between 8 and 10 mph are predicted for the 11901 area code. Chance of precipitation today is 90% with new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible for Riverhead.

Two power outages were reported in the area this morning, according to the Long Island Power Authority power outage map.

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