Flash flooding in NYC slowed roads, snarled trains and forced airport ground stops on Saturday as heavy thunderstorms dumped two to four inches of rain across the city by early afternoon. The worst of it fell in lower Manhattan and in western Brooklyn and Queens, where streets turned into streams and some drivers found themselves boxed in by rising water.
The National Weather Service said another inch of rain an hour was possible, and a flood watch remained in effect for all five boroughs, southern Westchester County and northeast New Jersey through 2 a.m. Sunday. City emergency management officials urged residents in basement apartments to move to higher floors, while Jeremy Edwards said Saturday afternoon that the storm was not over and that the mayor was urging everyone to stay vigilant and stay safe.
The damage was visible far beyond the city center. Videos showed submerged vehicles above the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and footage from Woodside, Queens, showed streets under several feet of water. The Long Island Expressway at 188th Street was blocked in both directions for a couple of hours before reopening, and the Clearview Expressway at Northern Boulevard was briefly shut in both directions as floodwater spread across key routes.
The city’s subway system also took a hit, with service disruptions at several locations after water poured onto the tracks. The exact scope of the shutdowns was still unfolding Saturday evening, but the combination of flooded streets and track-level water was enough to disrupt riders across the network at the same time roads were backing up and flights were being held.
That pressure spread to LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark, where ground stops were in place Saturday evening as downpours piled up delays and cancellations. In Newark, police and firefighters responded to five cars trapped in heavy waters, and Emanuel Miranda said the drivers and passengers were rescued with no reported injuries. Saturday’s Yankees-Dodgers game in the Bronx was also pushed to Sunday for a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.
The storm hit after days of smoky skies and soaring temperatures, and the rain, shifting winds and a cold front were expected to help clear wildfire smoke from the Northeast. That left officials in the uncomfortable position of warning about a storm that was still active while knowing the same weather could improve the air by Sunday. Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms were expected to continue through Saturday evening, and the clearest takeaway was simple: the worst of the flooding had already caused real disruption, but the region was not done with the weather yet.
