The governors of New Jersey and New York have declared states of emergency before the arrival of a nor’easter storm that is expected to dump “significant rainfall” in the Northeast this week. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared an emergency covering more than 20 counties last night. “I am encouraging New Yorkers to prepare now for inclement weather expected over the coming days and urging commuters to take precaution ahead of heavy rainfall expected tomorrow morning,” she said. New Jersey’s state of emergency kicked in at 8 p.m. Monday.

A nor’easter, as its name suggests, is a type of storm characterized by strong winds from the northeast. The National Weather Service says this week’s storm, and the thunderstorms trailing behind it, will bring in up to an inch of rain per hour at the peak of the bad weather. New York City’s transit authority is bracing for six inches of rain in just 12 hours, but nothing as intense as was seen during last month’s Hurricane Ida, which claimed 95 lives in the U.S., including 30 in New Jersey and 18 in New York.