FLOOD UPDATE: Route 59 Closed in Both Directions

Overnight rains have led to a new round of flooding problems this morning in Rockland County.

Clarkstown police said Route 59 in West Nyack is closed in both directions at the Palisades Center mall because of flooding, which is also affecting the mall's ring road. On Route 303, one lane northbound near the Clarkstown Landfill in West Nyack was shut early this morning because of flooding and Route 303 from Orangeburg Road to  Mountainview Avenue was again closed early this morning because of flooding in Orangeburg.

Conditions are worsening along Route 59 and Route 303 in West Nyack. Police suggest morning commuters avoid the area.

Firefighters throughout Rockland have also been responding to sporadic calls related to flooded basements.

A flood warning is in effect for Rockland County until 7 a.m. However, local streams and other waterways could continue to rise during the day because of  the overnight rains.

Today's flooding, however, is not as severe as conditions that came late Sunday and into Monday morning, when a heavy rain storm led to the complete shut down of Route 303 in West Nyack until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning and brought flooding to nearby neighborhoods.

Clarkstown police said this morning that today's conditions are not threatening homes in areas such as Klein Avenue and Jeffrey Court in West Nyack, which saw flooding from Sunday's storm. However, police said they are keeping a close watch on those neighborhoods and conditions at the Lake DeForest dam at Old Mill Road in West Nyack.

Sporadic flooding conditions have also been reported in Suffern, Nanuet and Nyack today. Flooding conditions have also been reported on Oak Tree Road in Orangetown. Oak Tree Road from Lawerence Street to Red Oak Drive was closed because of flooding. At least two cars were stuck on that portion of the road this morning.

In New City, police said they have not yet seen a repeat of the problems that caused a section of North Main Street to be closed Sunday night because of flooding.

Police throughout the area urge motorists to use caution driving this morning and not to drive onto flooded roads. In Sunday's storm, some motorists ignored barricades and then had to be rescued from their cars as they got stranded in high waters.

Throughout the night, the New York State Thruway Authority reported flooded conditions on the Thruway in Westchester and near the Rockland/Orange border. This morning, on the northbound Thruway the Exit 15 ramp is closed because of flooding. Southbound, the Thruway Authority warns of slow traffic conditions in Rockland and Westchester, with a variety of flooding problems at exit ramps in Westchester.

Also in Westchester, here are more of this morning's problem areas:

• The Saw Mill River Parkway is closed north and southbound from Yonkers to Cherry St. in Bedford Hills
• The Bronx River Parkway is close north and south bound from the Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers to Virginia Road.
• The Cross County Parkway ramps are closed to get onto the Bronx River Parkway.
• The entrance ramps to the Hutchinson River Parkway from the Cross County Parkway is closed, the Hutchinson River Parkways is shut down north and south bound from Boston Post Rd. to E. Lincoln Avenue.
• The Bronx River Parkway just before the New York City Line: The road is completely shut down in the area due to flooding.