New Yorkers, after days of heavy smoke and torrid temperatures, are met with thunderstorms and flash flooding
New Yorkers After Days of Heavy Smoke Face Flash Flooding
New Yorkers after days of heavy smoke and torrid temperatures are now dealing with a completely different weather challenge. The city and surrounding regions were hit hard Saturday with intense thunderstorms, torrential downpours, and widespread flash flooding. According to the National Weather Service, two to four inches of rain accumulated by early Saturday afternoon, with rainfall rates reaching up to an inch per hour. A flood watch remains active for all five boroughs of New York City, southern Westchester County, and northeast New Jersey through 2 a.m. Sunday.
The National Weather Service in New York warned that flooding could be locally significant, potentially causing transportation disruptions, basement flooding, and requiring water rescues. City emergency management officials reported that the heaviest rainfall concentrated in lower Manhattan and western Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods. Residents living in basement apartments received urgent instructions to move to higher floors as precautionary measures.
Storm Impact on Transportation and Daily Life
Jeremy Edwards, spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, emphasized that the storm event was not yet over. “The mayor continues to urge residents and visitors to our city to remain vigilant and stay safe,” Edwards stated Saturday afternoon. The severe weather also disrupted sports schedules, with Saturday’s Yankees-Dodgers game in the Bronx being rescheduled for Sunday as part of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, according to an MLB news release.
“This storm event is not over, and the mayor continues to urge residents and visitors to our city to remain vigilant and stay safe.” — Jeremy Edwards, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s spokesperson
Video footage captured dramatic scenes of submerged vehicles on roadways above the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Two men were seen standing in front of a white truck’s windshield while another man waded through waist-high water. In several locations, sidewalks transformed into murky streams as rainwater accumulated faster than drainage systems could handle.
Woodside, Queens, emerged as one of the hardest-hit areas, with streets covered under several feet of water. The heavy downpours contributed to significant flight delays and cancellations at LaGuardia, Kennedy, and Newark airports. These disruptions occurred on the eve of the World Cup final match scheduled for Sunday in New Jersey. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that all three airports operated under ground stops Saturday evening during the peak of the storms.
Regional Effects and Recovery Outlook
Torrenial rains extended well beyond New York City into New Jersey, where flash flood warnings were issued for multiple counties. In Newark, police and firefighters responded to emergency calls reporting five cars trapped in heavy waters. Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda confirmed that all drivers and passengers were rescued with no reported injuries.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued warnings about possible power outages, downed trees, and road closures throughout the state. “I remind everyone to take this weather seriously,” Hochul said in her Friday statement. The timing of these storms proved particularly challenging, as people in the Northeast had been breathing dangerous air carried by thick, choking plumes of smoke from Canadian wildfires.
According to the Canadian government, nearly 1,000 active fires burned across Canada as of Saturday. Meteorologists indicated that rain, shifting winds, and an approaching cold front should eventually help clear the smoke, though air quality may not improve uniformly across all regions. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reported that New York’s subway system experienced service disruptions at several locations after water poured onto the tracks.
Road conditions deteriorated significantly as expected. The New York City Police Department confirmed that all lanes of the Long Island Expressway at 188th Street were blocked in both directions due to flooding for approximately two hours in the early afternoon before reopening. The Clearview Expressway at Northern Boulevard also experienced complete lane closures in both directions for a brief period.
The National Weather Service forecasted multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms to continue inundating the area through Saturday evening. These additional storms could worsen existing flooding conditions while bringing damaging winds and potential tornadoes to the region. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Dalia Faheid and Graham Hurley contributed to this report.
