New York City declared a state of emergency on Friday after heavy rains caused flash flooding. The flooding submerged streets, highways, and subway systems, and caused mud landslides. At least one terminal at LaGuardia Airport closed.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said that approximately 8.5 million people in the New York City area were under flash flood warnings. Mayor Eric Adams urged residents to avoid all non-essential travel.
The flooding was caused by a coastal storm. Low pressure off the East Coast brought in deep moisture from the Atlantic Ocean.
New York City is highly vulnerable to flooding from coastal storms due to its intensively used waterfront and its extensive coastal geography.
The prolific totals are a symptom of climate change, scientists say, with a warmer atmosphere acting like a massive sponge, able to sop up more water vapor and then wring it out in intense spurts which can easily overwhelm outdated flood protections.
“Overall, as we know, this changing weather pattern is the result of climate change,” Rohit Aggarwala, New York City’s Chief Climate Officer said in a Friday morning news conference. “And the sad reality is our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can respond.”
A widespread 3 to 6 inches of rain had fallen across the New York City by late Friday afternoon. More rain will fall through the evening, though it will gradually taper off.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley Friday morning as the worst of the flooding hit. In an interview with New York’s WNBC-TV she urged residents to stay home because of widespread dangerous travel conditions.
“This is a very challenging weather event,” Hochul said. “This a life-threatening event. And I need all New Yorkers to heed that warning so we can keep them safe.” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency for his state Friday afternoon.
Firefighters performed rescues at six basements in New York City flooded by torrents of water, according to the New York City Fire Department.
The flood threat stretches beyond New York City and impacts roughly 25 million people across the Northeast.
Heavy rain will expand north and east and impact a wide swath of southern New England through Friday evening. The heaviest rain in the region will center on Connecticut, where flash flood warnings were already in place on Friday afternoon. Rainfall of 3 to 4 inches slammed the southwestern portion of the state earlier Friday.
One to 3 inches of rain is also possible from central Connecticut to portions of Rhode Island through Friday evening. Parts of Massachusetts, including Boston, could tally up widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches by the time the heaviest rain comes to an end Friday night.
