Torrential Rains Inundate New York City Streets and Subways

Powerful rainstorms pummeled New York City and surrounding areas on Friday, causing extensive floods that disrupted transport and swamped neighborhoods across the region.

The extreme downpours resulted in one of the heaviest rain events to hit New York in decades. More than 7 inches of rain drenched parts of Brooklyn in just a few hours, with rates exceeding 2 inches per hour.

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1. Subway Lines Suspended, Roads Flooded

2. Record-Shattering Rainfall

Subway Lines Suspended, Roads Flooded

The deluge inundated subway tunnels and knocked out service on several train lines in Brooklyn. Major disruptions plagued the 2, 3, 4, 5, B and W routes amid the flooding. Vehicle traffic also ground to a halt as streets rapidly filled with water.

Heavy floods due to extreme rains on the metro station in New York, USA 🇺🇲

TELEGRAM JOIN 👉 https://t.co/9cTkji5aZq pic.twitter.com/bSnlJXHLUo

— Disaster News (@Top_Disaster) September 29, 2023

BREAKING : State of emergency declared in New York City due to heavy flooding. pic.twitter.com/G9381xcbmf

— Aldrich (@observer888888) September 29, 2023

At LaGuardia Airport, the relentless rains forced the closure of Terminal A for several hours. Photos showed passengers trudging through deep floods inside the terminal. Officials urged residents in ground-level and basement apartments to head to higher floors, heeding lessons from Hurricane Ida in 2021 when flash floods killed people trapped in underground units.

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Record-Shattering Rainfall

The 8.65 inches of rain that fell at JFK Airport set a new record for any September day in New York. It surpassed the previous benchmark set during 1960’s Hurricane Donna. Central Park saw over 5 inches of rain, making it the wettest September day in the park’s history.

More heavy rainfall was forecast through Saturday morning, spurring flood watches across New York City, Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey. New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency, cautioning that some areas could see a total of 10 inches of rain.

🇺🇸 In the USA, New York subways are disrupted as more heavy rain triggers flooding#flood #NY pic.twitter.com/UXT2VKX2II

— Attentive Media (@AttentiveCEE) September 29, 2023

Visuals of havoc caused by the downpour in #Brooklyn
Downed tree crushed vehicle in Prospect heights, Brooklyn. #NYC #Brooklyn #flashflood #flashflooding #flooding #flood #newyork #newyorkcity #nyc #brooklyn #rain #rainstorm #storm #downpour #streetflooding #brooklynflooding pic.twitter.com/9j612C8km4

— Shadab Javed (@JShadab1) September 29, 2023

While no deaths were immediately reported from the storm, the torrents underscore the growing threats posed by extreme weather across an increasingly climate-altered world. Experts say rapid urbanization and greenhouse gas emissions are exacerbating rainfall extremes, flooding risks and infrastructure stresses in cities like New York.

The New York City area is bracing for major #flooding as heavy rain slams #NewYork, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut pic.twitter.com/zORcegcN0W

— RRN (@RRNmedia) September 29, 2023