NEW YORK – Flash flooding from thunderstorms in New York City on Thursday caused some roads to be impassable and early commute troubles, with viewers capturing videos and photos from the severe weather event forecast to continue through the evening.
Flash flooding in NYC
What we know:
Water rescues were underway after heavy rain slammed the I-95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Traffic was impacted as the storms began to roll through the region, causing major flash flooding on the Clearview Expressway (I-295) in Queens and closing a number of other roadways.
Video submitted to the Citizen app from a bystander showed a tractor-trailer stopped in floodwaters along the highway, partially submerged. Traffic video from the New York City DOT showed multiple vehicles stuck in the floodwaters on the interstate, with what appeared to be a water rescue, with a first responder checking in on a car stuck in the water near the tractor-trailer.
First responder approaches partially submerged car in the floodwaters in Queens, NYC (Courtesy: New York City DOT)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City and surrounding counties on Thursday afternoon.
Grand Central Terminal flooding
Floodwaters flowed into Grand Central Terminal, drenching a train on the Metro-North Railroad. Video recorded by a bystander shows floodwaters entering the terminal from above and pouring onto the roof of the departing Hudson Line train around 4 p.m.
Timeline:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Weather Prediction Center placed many major cities on a Level 3 out of 4 flood risk before the storms began.
At 3:07 p.m., National Weather Service (NWS) New York issued a flash flood warning for New York, Manhattan and Staten Island, lasting until 6:15 p.m.
By the numbers:
According to the NWS, the area faces a 25-40% chance of flash flooding with a 5% chance of severe flooding, posing threats to life, transportation disruptions and potential water rescues. Some localized areas in New York and New Jersey could see up to 2 to 5 inches of rain in as little as 3 to 6 hours.
2 to 3 inches of rain have already fallen in northwestern New Jersey in just one hour, according to the NWS.
The Source: This article includes information from the National Weather Service (NWS)