Nor’easter floods Long Beach streets

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A week after Long Beach residents experienced back-to-back power outages, a nor’easter has caused flooding on local streets and wreaked havoc for motorists — and the heavy rain is expected to continue through this evening’s commute.

A flood advisory remains in effect through this afternoon, with a flood watch in effect until 1 a.m. Wednesday.

According to the National Weather Service, the nor’easter had already dropped nearly 2 inches of rain in areas like the Canals by Tuesday afternoon, with 2 to 2 1/2 inches of rain in the forecast for Tuesday night.

The city shut down parts of West Park Avenue, Riverside Boulevard and other streets temporarily this morning due to flooding, though high tide has since receded.

“The ones that were closed, as soon as the tide started going back out, were reopened at around 10 a.m.,” said LBPD spokesman Lt. Mark Stark, who added that roadways will be checked at 9:40 p.m. at high tide to determine additional closures.

The city’s public works crews were out in force, making sure that there was no debris on storm drain covers.

“We have seen some of the highest levels on Reynolds Channel since Sandy due not only to the storm surge but also high winds and a full-moon high tide,” the city said in a Facebook post.

Widespread minor tidal flooding was reported in Long Beach and created difficult driving conditions, and a coastal flood statement remains in effect from 9 p.m. through 2 a.m. Wednesday, with tidal departures of 1 ½ to 2 feet during tonight’s high tides. Minor inundation of less than 1 foot above ground is possible across the most vulnerable shore roads and adjacent properties at the height of the storm or wave splash over, the weather service reported.

A wind advisory was also in effect until 7 p.m. Tuesday night, with 20 to 30 MPH winds and gusts up to 45 mph.

The city’s public works crews cleared storm drains throughout the city to help prevent and minimize flooding before and during the storm, though the city encouraged residents to check and make sure their storm drains were clear.

“And luckily there have been no power outages reported,” Stark said.

The city advised residents to call PSEG at (516) 490-0075 to report an outage.