Rain in NYC expected to taper off by Wednesday afternoon

Rains poised to descend upon the New York City metropolitan area on Tuesday are expected to clear up by midday Wednesday, with sunny and brisk weather anticipated for Thanksgiving Day.

The region is expected to get 1 to 2 inches of rain between late Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service, but conditions should be dry by early Wednesday afternoon.

Some nuisance flooding is possible for low-lying and poor drainage areas ahead of the holiday, and a coastal flooding advisory will be in effect for much of the region early Wednesday. But there is no risk for flash flooding or the potential for icy roads to develop in the current forecast, with the bulk of the rains expected to fall overnight, meteorologists said.

“I think by the lunch hour — if not a few hours before that — the region will be entirely dry,” said NWS meteorologist Dominic Ramunni on Tuesday. “So fortunately those looking to travel tomorrow might just want to wait a few extra hours into the morning if they don't want to deal with any of the raindrops.”

Wednesday's mostly dry forecast is likely to be a boon to holiday travelers on one of the most chaotic days of the year for navigating roads, railways and air travel. Thanksgiving Day on Thursday will have gusts of up to 25 miles per hour, though Ramunni said the strong winds weren’t currently a threat to balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

“Other than that, we're talking about pretty abundantly sunny skies and temperatures right around normal, with highs in the lower 50s,” Ramunni said. “So not the worst Thanksgiving in terms of Mother Nature.”