NYC and NJ weather: States of emergency declared as millions in Northeast drenched by heavy rain

Independent

4 days ago

New Yorkers and millions of others in the Northeast have faced flash floods for the second time in two weeks as severe thunderstorms and torrential downpours slammed the East Coast.
Some workers in NY and New Jersey were sent home early Thursday afternoon ahead of the evening commute. The city's emergency management agency urged people to avoid unnecessary travel, warning that street, basement, and transit flooding were possible. States of emergency were declared in New York and New Jersey as the storms arrived.
"I am urging all New Yorkers to stay vigilant, stay informed, and use caution as we expect excessive rainfall with the potential for flash flooding," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said. "State agencies are on standby for heavy downpours and localized flooding and will be monitoring the situation in real-time to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers in the path of the storm."
Heavy rain and thunderstorms kept travelers grounded in New York and the surrounding areas. Hundreds of flights both in and out of Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK airports were canceled or delayed. JFK and Newark were reporting an average delay of three-and-a-half hours, while LaGuardia had a two-and-a-half-hour delay due to the weather.
One death was reported after a child was trapped in a storm drain in Mount Airy, Maryland, according to the Carroll County fire chief. The call of a child trapped after being swept away by flood waters close to an apartment building came in at 5.22 p.m., prompting 50 first responders, said Chief Michael Robinson.
'Fifty first responders worked for most of an hour to attempt to free the child from the storm drain,' he noted in a statement. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
The thunderstorms and rain were caused by a slow-moving cold front with an unusual amount of moisture, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 50 million people were placed under flood watches on Thursday across the northeast. The National Weather Service forecast 1.5 to 3 inches of rain for New York through Friday afternoon.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a localized state of emergency Thursday afternoon as city roads began to be inundated by floodwater.
'I've issued a state of emergency,' he said on X just before 5 p.m. 'The Travel Advisory and Flood Watch are in effect until 8 AM. Stay where you are if you can. Don't drive. Roadways are flooding, and crews are responding. If you live in a basement apartment and haven't yet moved to higher ground, move now.'
Shortly before 3 p.m. E.T., Hochul said on X, 'I will be declaring a State of Emergency for New York City and the surrounding counties. Heavy rain and potential flooding are expected to affect the evening commute. Employers are encouraged to dismiss employees early. Continue to monitor your local forecasts, and stay safe.'
The Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington branch was suspended due to flooding, as the NYPD said all northbound lanes on the FDR Drive at E Houston Street were also closed.
The southbound lanes of the Cross Island Parkway were blocked at the Throggs Neck Bridge, the NYPD said.
Delays and service changes were also reported for the A, D, E, B, F, and C trains. The New York City Transit Authority said on X that 'Q service is partially suspended while we remove a downed tree from the tracks at Parkside Av.'
Videos shared on social media showed cars submerged in deep water on the Clearview Expressway in Queens. The Clearview Expressway was closed in both directions at Northern Boulevard, the NYPD said.
Actor Joon Choi told NBC News in Queens that his usual 30-minute commute turned into a two-and-a-half-hour journey on Thursday afternoon. He went to Penn Station in Manhattan only to find that trains to Port Washington had been canceled. The Long Island Rail Road said service had been suspended due to high water east of Flushing Main Street.
'I checked Uber, and from the city it was going to be $400,' he told the network. The journey usually costs $60. His commute was about to come to an end as he spoke to the network.
'Ten more minutes,' said Choi. 'Ten more wet minutes, and I'll be home.'
The storms come just over a week after New York and the tri-state area experienced flash flooding that left subway stations teeming with water. The storm left commuters stranded in deep water and sent torrents of water flowing down into subway stations.
Two people were killed in flooding in the Garden State.
Thursday's flood warnings also come on the tail of intense heatwaves and humidity across the East Coast. The significant amount of moisture in the atmosphere, when released, has contributed to flash flooding, according to AccuWeather.
Portions of eastern Pennsylvania, eastern Maryland, northern Virginia, and northern Delaware to the lower Hudson Valley area of New York, including Connecticut, parts of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, were set to be walloped with two to four inches of rain, AccuWeather said.
In addition to flooded subways in New York travel disruptions were possible within 100 miles of I-95 moving into Thursday night.
Some areas may be hit with an inch of rain pouring down in a span of 15 to 30 minutes, AccuWeather warned.
Cellphones buzzed north and west of Baltimore as more than two inches of rain fell in some areas within 30 minutes, The Washington Post noted.
A meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Baltimore/Washington forecast office, Jeremy Geiger, wrote in a message to emergency managers and the press that 'Unfortunately, this heavy rain/flood threat is overlapping with the evening rush hour, which may increase the flood threat.'
The office issued a flash flood warning at 4.35 p.m. E.T., saying that the area could face as much as four inches of rain per hour for the next several hours, adding that there's a 'considerable' risk of damage from flash floods.
'In hilly terrain, there are hundreds of low water crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain,' the warning said. 'Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route.'
Shortly before 8 p.m. on Thursday, the National Weather Service announced that severe thunderstorm watches for southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and parts of Maryland were no longer in effect.