Region under flood watch, wind advisory; canal locks to be shut down

PHOTOGRAPHER: Edward Munger Jr.

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Boaters are being urged to bring their yachts to safe harbor today as the region braces for pounding rain.

The state Canal Corp. is expecting to shut down Locks E-2 through E-22 by the end of day today and it will likely be closed throughout Friday, Canal Corp. Director Carmella Mantello said.

“Operators are informing boaters if you want to get through the system, get through now,” Mantello said this morning.

Fueled by moist Caribbean air, the weather system bearing down on the Northeast is similar to the one that caused widespread damage during flooding four years ago, National Weather Service Meteorologist Hugh Johnson said.

The entire Capital Region is under a flood watch, meaning there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. People who live in areas that flood often are being urged to prepare to take action in the event flooding develops.

“This is very similar, in some ways, to the setup we had in 2006 that absolutely plastered the Mohawk Basin,” Johnson said.

There’s been some rain this summer but Johnson said the region will likely be able to absorb some of the rainfall unlike in 2006.

But Johnson said it’s possible the region could see between four and six inches of rain before the system pushed through which would cause flooding.

A wind advisory is also in effect throughout the Capital Region, with winds as strong as 50 mph forecast from 2 p.m. through midnight, according to the National Weather Service.

The Canal Corp. will be moving canal vessels to safe harbor while monitoring the weather and boaters are urged to keep an eye on the system’s Notice to Mariners, available on the Web at www.canals.ny.gov, for updates.