DEBBY HEADS NORTH: Remnants of hurricane to hit NYC area Friday, bringing risk of flooding, tornadoes

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The remnants of Hurricane Debby are on course to drench the rain-soaked Tri-State later this week, after Tuesday night’s storm dropped several inches of rain on New York City and its suburbs.

Gov. Kathy Hochul warned Tuesday that New York State was in the “bullseye” of Debby. She activated the state's Emergency Operations Center and pre-deployed 100 members of the National Guard.

“It's too early to tell the impact that Debby will have on New York,” Hochul said at a briefing Tuesday, “but every model shows that we are in the bullseye, right in the path of this storm coming.”

Debby was marching north as a tropical storm on Wednesday, swirling over the Carolinas and dumping more than a foot of rain in some areas after killing at least six people in Florida and Georgia.

Forecasts on Wednesday continued to show Debby's eye cutting through Upstate New York, north of the Catskills, early Saturday. However, its northern bands will be felt in North Jersey and NYC much sooner—early Friday.

Tuesday's storm dumped several inches of rain on the five boroughs and surrounding suburbs, with 2.62 inches recorded in Central Park as of Wednesday.

According to the National Weather Service, some of the heaviest rainfall was in the Bronx, where 5.48 inches fell in Fordham, and North Jersey, where 5.79 inches was measured in Ridgewood.

Flood-prone roadways were inundated Tuesday evening, including the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx, which was closed after some drivers became trapped by floodwaters.

While the rain had mostly moved out Wednesday, impacts were still being felt, especially at the area's three major airports, which saw hundreds of flight delays and cancellations.

Wednesday will otherwise be damp, cloudy and cool. The high was only set to reach 70 degrees—the lowest high in Central Park so far this summer. It's a bit of a reprieve after weeks of stifling heat.

Thursday is expected be cloudy and breezy with scattered showers and a high of 73.

The rain will increase late Thursday and early Friday as Debby moves into the area. Forecasters predict periods of heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 40 mph on Friday. The tropical system poses a risk of flooding, power outages and even isolated tornadoes. Travel may also be impacted.

Debby will exit the region on Saturday, giving way to a sunny, breezy and less humid weekend. Highs will be in the low 80s on both Saturday and Sunday.