New York City is opening 51 public schools across the five boroughs as “overnight safe locations” for residents who live in basements or flood-prone homes, as Storm Team 4 tracks severe weather and the potential for flash flooding Sunday. Rain is expected to start falling around midnight and continue through the morning. Periods of heavy rain are expected in the early hours of Sunday until noon. Storm Team 4 expects 1 to 3 inches of rain could fall across the area, with rainfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour. As of 10 p.m. Saturday, the overnight safe locations were set to open citywide. A full list of locations is available here or by calling 311. Pets and service animals are also welcomed. In Brooklyn, residents in Bushwick said they are bracing for the potential storm and the flooding that can come with it. “There’s pockets where it floods crazy… cars going through,” said Sadie Withers, who lives in the area. New York City Emergency Management is urging New Yorkers to prepare ahead of time. “Bushwick needs it. There’s flooding. Now there’s global warming. It’s flooding like crazy,” said John Alscher. “I think that’s good that there’s somewhere that people can come that may not have a stable home when it really floods to go to,” said Prince Kobe of Bushwick. Flash flooding is possible for New York City. The severe weather threat comes after the city experienced the rainiest August in five years. “And it rains all the time now, way more than it used to,” Alscher said. The city says if you live in a basement, make sure your exits are clear and be prepared to move to higher ground if conditions get worse through the morning. Officials also urge people to identify the closest overnight safe location. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less