Flood alerts issued across much of Upstate NY as rain continues to pound

Update: As of 8 a.m., the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning, the most severe flood alert, for much of Central New York. Here’s the link to our most recent story. The story below is based on forecasts from about 5 a.m.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- A strong coastal storm is bringing heavy rain and flood alerts to Upstate New York.

Much of Upstate east of the Finger Lakes has seen 1 to 3 inches of rain already, with another inch or two forecast.

A flood watch has been issued for the Southern Tier and most of Upstate east of Syracuse. A watch means flooding is possible but hasn’t happened yet. A more urgent flood advisory has been issued for Central New York, where minor flooding “is occurring or is imminent,” the National Weather Service said. One to 1.5 inches of rain has already fallen, with another inch expected, the weather service said.

That advisory applies to Cortland, Madison, Oneida and Onondaga counties through 8:15 a.m. One weather spotter has already measured 2.24 inches of rain in Cortland.

Creeks might spill their banks, and standing water on roads could make driving hazardous this morning, the weather service said.

The heavy rainfall should wind down this morning, with showers lingering into tonight. A blast of cold air is expected to come in overnight, generating some lake effect snow. Syracuse could see 2 inches by daybreak Tuesday; several inches are possible in the hills south of Buffalo as that cold air streams across Lake Erie.

A winter weather advisory has already been issued for much of Western New York from 9 tonight until 10 a.m. Tuesday.