Severe storm system brings chaos to NYC commuters. A powerful low-pressure system brought heavy rain and strong winds to New York City on Thursday, wreaking havoc across the five boroughs.
Residents were hit with flash flood warnings as torrential downpours poured in at a rate of over two inches per hour in some areas, leaving roads impassable and disrupting daily life. The National Weather Service issued the warning just hours before 1.80 inches of rain fell in Central Park, shattering the previous record of 1917.
As if heavy rain wasn't enough, powerful gusts reached up to 50 mph, prompting bridge closures and scattered power outages. Staten Island was particularly hard hit, with residents facing restrictions on major bridges due to the high winds.
Two men died as their basements flooded during the storm, a stark reminder of the dangers posed by NYC's aging drainage system. The city's public transportation network also suffered greatly, with trains delayed across multiple lines and ferry services suspended at one point.
Roads were another casualty of the storm, with flooding causing traffic jams throughout the city. The westbound Belt Parkway was shut down temporarily in Brooklyn, while the Long Island Expressway came to a standstill before reopening later that evening.
At JFK and LaGuardia airports, ground stops caused significant flight delays into the evening. Residents were advised by city agencies to stay off flooded streets, secure outdoor items, and avoid basement apartments vulnerable to flooding.
While conditions are expected to dry out by Friday morning, the aftermath of the storm still lingers with a wind advisory in effect for all five boroughs until early Saturday.
Residents were hit with flash flood warnings as torrential downpours poured in at a rate of over two inches per hour in some areas, leaving roads impassable and disrupting daily life. The National Weather Service issued the warning just hours before 1.80 inches of rain fell in Central Park, shattering the previous record of 1917.
As if heavy rain wasn't enough, powerful gusts reached up to 50 mph, prompting bridge closures and scattered power outages. Staten Island was particularly hard hit, with residents facing restrictions on major bridges due to the high winds.
Two men died as their basements flooded during the storm, a stark reminder of the dangers posed by NYC's aging drainage system. The city's public transportation network also suffered greatly, with trains delayed across multiple lines and ferry services suspended at one point.
Roads were another casualty of the storm, with flooding causing traffic jams throughout the city. The westbound Belt Parkway was shut down temporarily in Brooklyn, while the Long Island Expressway came to a standstill before reopening later that evening.
At JFK and LaGuardia airports, ground stops caused significant flight delays into the evening. Residents were advised by city agencies to stay off flooded streets, secure outdoor items, and avoid basement apartments vulnerable to flooding.
While conditions are expected to dry out by Friday morning, the aftermath of the storm still lingers with a wind advisory in effect for all five boroughs until early Saturday.
. Like, I get that it's New York City and the weather is unpredictable, but 2 inches per hour? That's wild! And yeah, I'm no expert, but isn't the drainage system supposed to be updated by now? 
Two men died from flooding in their basements... that's just devastating. And what's with all the delays at airports and public transportation? It's like they didn't prepare for this. Ground stops are so annoying 
. I feel bad for commuters who were stuck in traffic jams all day. On the bright side, it was a good excuse to stay indoors and catch up on some reading or something 
. Anyway, fingers crossed the city gets back to normal soon 
.
It's not like the storm was a surprise, it's been raining for weeks already. And now the city's all about being cautious and stuff, but where was that caution when it mattered? Road closures everywhere, ferry services shut down... how are people supposed to get around? 
. I mean, two guys lost their lives due to flooding in their basements... that's just devastating 
. And the roads? Forget about it 
.
️. Those guys must be going crazy with the bridge closures and power outages. I feel for them so much 
. Anyway, I just hope it dries out by Friday morning... but a wind advisory until Saturday? That's just not what we need right now 
. Two people dead because of that outdated drainage system? That's unacceptable. And now we gotta deal with the aftermath like roads are flooded everywhere and traffic is a nightmare 
. I'm surprised more ppl didn't get hurt by those strong gusts. Newsflash: NYC's old infrastructure needs to be fixed ASAP 
. And let's not even get started on the public transportation situation, like what was gonna happen when the trains got delayed? 
this is getting crazy! I'm so sick of these aging infrastructure issues in NYC 
it's always something that causes chaos during the storms... and now we're paying the price with lives lost 
two men couldn't even escape the floodwaters... and what about all those train delays? 
it was shut down because of flooding?! that's not just inconvenient, that's life-altering 
and don't even get me started on the power outages... when do they ever fix these things?! 
, but like u said, conditions might not be back to normal until Sat. city agencies gotta step up their game tho, get those roads & trains fixed ASAP! 
. I'm just glad my elderly neighbors have a solid roof over their heads and aren't having to deal with flooding... that's all anyone can ask for at this point 
... those high winds are super scary, like 50 mph is crazy! 
. Two people died from that and I just can't even think about it... 
! like two guys died in their own homes because of flooding and it's just so not fair 
. and the trains just sitting still all day? are you kidding me?! how can a city be so prepared but also so unprepared at the same time? like, what even is going on with this drainage system?! 
. I've been saying it for ages, NYC's drainage system is a disaster waiting to happen 
but seriously can we talk about how overrated central park is? i mean, 1.8 inches of rain in like 24 hrs? big deal. and bridge closures because of wind? that's just what u get when u live in a coastal city like nyc 
The power outages & bridge closures must've been super frustrating too! 