A flash flood watch has been issued by the National Weather Service as Tropical Storm Isaias makes its way up the East Coast.

The watch is scheduled from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. Wednesday for Essex, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties.

Rain is expected to develop early Tuesday and become heavy at times by late afternoon through Tuesday night, especially across portions of Vermont.

Storm total rainfall of one to our inches will have the potential to cause localized flash flooding, especially across complex terrain and poor drainage urban areas. Sharp rises on streams and rivers are expected overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.

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NYC also prepares

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ALBANY (AP) — New York City area residents should be prepared for heavy winds and rain from Isaias on Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The storm was off the Florida coast Sunday and its maximum sustained winds had declined to 65 mph. But it could batter much of the East Coast this week as the system is forecast to track up or just off the Atlantic seaboard.

Cuomo said models project it will move over the New York City area, including Long Island and parts of the Hudson Valley, primarily on Tuesday. Some areas could see up to 3 inches of rain and 50 mph gusts, he told reporters during a phone briefing late Sunday.

The governor said people living in flood-prone areas should be getting ready for the storm. The state was making sure generators, pumps and high-water vehicles were ready, he said.

“We’re preparing. Local governments should be preparing,” Cuomo said.

A tropical storm watch has been issued for Long Island Sound, according to the National Hurricane Center, meaning tropical storm force winds are possible. The National Weather Service has also issued flash flood watches for parts of the New York City area.

The Weather Service said Sunday that the highest wind threats from Isaias are late Tuesday afternoon and into the evening in central and eastern Long Island and eastern Connecticut, with sustained winds of up to 45 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph possible.