A powerful storm battered New York on Wednesday, dumping up to four inches of rain in just a few hours, causing dangerous flash flooding and leaving drivers trapped in their cars.
New York City’s Office of Emergency Management told the Post that “several people” had to be rescued from vehicles trapped by rising waters at Henry Hudson Parkway and Major Deegan Expressway.
video Post to social media Drivers were shown navigating severe flooding on some of the city’s main roads during rush hour.
Another clip Indicated Rescue crews are working to extricate drivers and vehicles trapped in water on northbound Major Deegan Road near the Van Cortlandt Park exit.
As the storm progressed, OEM said it had received 136 calls to 311 about abandoned vehicles as of 9 p.m. Tuesday night, along with 68 calls about sewer backups, 55 complaints about catch basins and 16 calls about flooded roads.
The FDNY responded to “numerous” calls about storm impacts throughout the day, but there were no reports of injuries, officials said.
Just over an inch of rain was recorded in Central Park, while 4.4 inches fell on City Island in the Bronx and more than 4 inches fell in Port Washington on Long Island, Fox News meteorologist Christopher Tate told The Post.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Manhattan and the Bronx until 9:45 p.m. Tuesday night, and city officials urged people living in basement apartments to seek higher ground.
A clip posted online Indicated Water is pouring down the stairs inside a building on 228th Street in the Bronx.
The flooding is partly the result of Tropical Storm Debby, which made landfall in Florida on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, killing at least five people, but has since weakened to a tropical storm.
“This is a very specific type of rainfall event that occurs in certain tropical systems, called a precursor rainfall, and it’s caused by a combination of two factors,” Tait explained to The Washington Post.
“A stationary front is slowly moving over the metro and towards Long Island, signaling the onset of summer. [typical] “Summer showers will occur but at the same time moisture from Tropical Storm Debby will be transported to the coast and eventually reach the stationary boundary,” the meteorologist said.
“So essentially we have moisture coming in from multiple places and unfortunately it’s all coming together right over the city,” he said.
The bad weather also wreaked havoc at New York City airports, causing flight cancellations and delays for thousands of travelers.
At LaGuardia International Airport, 184 flights were canceled, or a third of all departing flights, and an additional 119 flights were delayed. According to flight tracking website FlightAware.
At JFK Airport, 137 flights were canceled and 204 were delayed. At Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, 134 flights were canceled and 149 were delayed.
Tait said more rain could fall in the tri-state area starting Wednesday afternoon before the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby hit the region Thursday through the weekend.
