Coastal flood advisories have been issued for New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey in view of an approaching storm on the east coast.
Farther out west, a red flag warning for potential spread of wildfires has been raised in Colorado.
Coastal flood advisories
The National Weather Service (NWS) said that coastal flood advisories would be in place on Friday morning for several areas, including parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, southern Nassau County, and northern New Jersey, as per a report by CBS.
The NWS further warned that up to one foot of inundation was expected in vulnerable areas in Queens and Long Island, particularly from 4 am to 10 am on Friday.
Meanwhile, half-a-foot of inundation is expected in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Hudson, Essex, and Union counties, from 5 am to 11 am on Friday, as per the NWS.
While the flooding isn't expected to be catastrophic, some roads are at risk, as well as low-lying properties in affected areas such as parking lots, parks and basements.
People driving at the time the advisories will be in place are advised to account for added commute times. Drivers are also advised not to drive around barricades or through flooded roads.
Red flag warning
Separately, the NWS has also issued a red flag warning or a fire weather watch for Colorado's Front Range, in view of high winds and potentially hazardous conditions that could fuel the spread of wildfires.
Wind gusts in Colorado are expected to hit 60 to 70 mph along the west of the I-25 corridor, 9NEWS reported citing NOAA meteorologist Jennifer Stark, and gusts could even reach up to 90 mph in higher elevations.
The strongest winds are expected in the Boulder and Jefferson counties, especially in higher elevations.
Humidity, meanwhile, is expected to be on the lower side, which raises the risk of wildfires: relative humidity's will be slightly above 15%, around 17-20%.
"There are so many other factors that will be overwhelming that if a wildfire were to start [such as] it's going to spread quickly, it's going to be hard to control, hard to contain," Stark was quoted as saying.
She also urged residents to take the red flag warning seriously: "Definitely pay attention to what the weather is doing, be aware of any fire starts, be prepared to leave your home if you need to quickly. And for certain, don't do anything outdoors that's going to start a fire," Stark told 9NEWS.
While the red flag warning was initially issued for Wednesday, it will be in effect on Thursday as well as per local news outlet KOAA News5.
It should be noted that on 30 December 2021, the Marshall Fire broke out under similar conditions in Colorado, destroying 1,084 homes in Boulder county in the process.
It was Colorado's most destructive wildfire, and the latest red flag warning was issued out of caution, based on learnings from that incident.
