Pouring rain hit New York City and the surrounding region on Friday, causing flash floods and crippling the city’s vast subway system. Water rushed over major roadways, completely submerging cars in some areas. In schools, children were rushed to upper floors. At the city’s major airports, many flights were delayed and canceled. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and urged New Yorkers to stay home.
Brooklyn
Gowanus and Park Slope
Streets and storefronts were flooded in Gowanus, an industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn that sits at the bottom of a slope, and flooding was seen on the border between Gowanus and Park Slope.
Heavy rains raised the level of the neighborhood’s famously polluted canal.
Brooklyn
Williamsburg
In Williamsburg, motorists and pedestrians had to navigate floodwaters more than a foot high in some areas.
Record Rainfall for New York
The rainfall has made this the wettest September in New York City in more than 100 years. Northern suburbs like New Rochelle, N.Y., and Greenwich, Conn. were inundated with more than five inches, while Valley Stream, N.Y., received more than seven inches.
Brooklyn
Prospect Heights
Water was seen bursting from walls and rushing down the stairs leading to the 7th Avenue subway station on the border of Prospect Heights and Park Slope.
In another part of the neighborhood, a large tree fell, pulling its roots up through a sidewalk and crushing a parked Nissan.
Queens
La Guardia Airport
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“We can go on here and go to the other terminal.” “I have never seen this in my life. Oh, my goodness. This is inside the airport. Man, look at this.”
Flights at La Guardia Airport were delayed and canceled amid heavy rain and flash flooding. Floodwaters were seen rising in Terminal A, which was closed, and travelers were told to avoid the area.
In Terminal C, passengers awaited flights with significant delays.
Kennedy Airport in Queens has now recorded its wettest day since modern record-keeping began in 1948.
BRONX
Bronx River Parkway
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Look at this. Look at this. Look at these cars. Look at this. Look at that car. You can’t see it because it’s completely inundated. [sirens]
Many cars along the Bronx River Parkway were stranded in the floods. The waters were so high in some stretches of the parkway that cars were completely submerged.
NEW JERSEY
Hoboken
The mayor of Hoboken, N.J., issued a state of emergency because of heavy flooding. There was more than a foot of water in downtown Hoboken, an area that is notorious for frequent floods.