More than a month’s worth of rain fell Friday across parts of New York City and Long Island, much of it within a few hours, flooding utility infrastructure, stranding vehicles and subway commuters, and prompting an emergency declaration.
In all, more than 7 inches of rain had fallen in the most waterlogged sections of Brooklyn and Queens from the overnight hours through Friday afternoon, about double their normal precipitation for September.
It was more than enough to make Friday one of New York City’s rainiest days on record — and the wettest at JFK International Airport, with nearly 8 inches of rain. The rainfall sent floodwaters pouring over roadways and into subway stations and basements across the city, though no deaths were reported.
Floods forced the closure of FDR Drive along the East River throughout Lower and Midtown Manhattan as well as sections of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The Metropolitan Transit Authority warned of major service disruptions and suspensions on several subway lines that continued into the afternoon. LaGuardia International Airport closed one of its three terminals after floodwaters poured inside. Mudslides were reported in Lower Westchester County.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) declared a state of emergency across New York City, Long Island and into the Hudson Valley, urging residents to refrain from traveling on flooded roads.
The flooding was the worst the city had seen since Hurricane Ida, whose intense downpours in 2021 killed more than 40 people across the New York region. Some of those deaths included people who drowned in basement apartments that quickly filled with water.
New York fire authorities said residents of six basement apartments had been rescued by midday Friday, and firefighters also responded to many calls for people trapped in vehicles.
Rohit Aggarwala, the city’s chief climate officer, stressed that climate change probably contributed to the intensity of the rainfall and that it overwhelmed storm water systems not designed for such precipitation. Climate scientists have long predicted that the planet’s warming temperatures, the result of fossil fuel consumption, would lead to heavier downpours. Warmer air is capable of holding more water vapor.
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“The sad reality is our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can respond,” Aggarwala said.
Janno Lieber, chief executive of the MTA, said improvements made since Ida prevented flooding from filling subway stations Friday but that service suspension was nonetheless affecting more than a dozen subway lines.
By late afternoon, flash flood warnings were discontinued across New York City but still covered western Long Island and stretched as far north as Danbury, Conn. The Weather Service reported “multiple” water rescues and stranded motorists in Nassau County.
The setup for Friday’s storms was one that is notoriously difficult for forecasters to pin down. While they knew soaking rains would spread across the New York City region, it was not clear in advance where the most exceptional and localized downpours would develop.
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Ahead of the storm, the Weather Service warned that some spots might see 5 to 7 inches of rain but said it had “low” confidence in whether or where that might happen.
Share this articleShare“Areas that are prone to flash flooding across the New York Metro Area will likely experience flash flooding today, so turn around [and] don’t drown,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center cautioned.
Here's the estimated hourly precip across NYC from midnight to 11 AM today. Some locations have received up to 4-6+ inches already with additional rainfall forecast through tonight. Remember to practice flood safety- NEVER walk or drive into flood waters, turn around don't drown! pic.twitter.com/LitpHIiXLx
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) September 29, 2023Mayor Eric Adams (D) said the city government took steps to warn residents about potential flooding as early as Thursday afternoon, including issuing a travel advisory.
“All the necessary precautions were taken,” he said
Worsening the storms’ impact was the fact that overnight downpours left the ground sodden and waterlogged before the heaviest rain began. The ground was unable to absorb additional water, dramatically boosting the flood risk.
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Rainfall totals so far
By late afternoon, JFK International Airport logged a record 7.98 inches of rain since midnight — surpassing the previous mark set during Hurricane Irene in 2011. Nearly 4 inches fell at Central Park in Manhattan from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and its Friday total had topped 5 inches, making it the eighth rainiest day on record. The Weather Service reported 6.02 inches in Midtown Manhattan.
On average, Central Park gets about 3.4 inches of rainfall in September.
The New York State Mesonet, a group of local weather stations, showed as much as 7.21 inches of rainfall in Brooklyn.
Other rainfall totals the Weather Service reported across the New York region: 6.91 inches in the Ozone Park area of Queens; 6.71 inches in South Slope, Brooklyn; 5.7 inches in neighboring Nassau County on Long Island; 5.13 inches in New Rochelle; and 4.58 inches in Greenwich, Conn.
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By late afternoon, the heaviest rain was falling over western Long Island and southwestern Connecticut, with drenching rains spread across southern New England.
The rain developed through a rather atypical pattern in which a concentrated strip of low pressure sent winds converging over the New York City region that pushed air, rich in Atlantic moisture, upward to spawn a band of heavy downpours.
Incredible Loop...
Look at the convergence, the fanning out divergence to N, the absolute firehose off the water; the blocking to NE, the HP to the East... its all being squeezed and producing prolific rainfall. pic.twitter.com/J0KEcAckMX
Additional moisture was swirled north from the subtropical Atlantic courtesy of an approaching upper-level low, or a bowling ball of high-altitude cold air, low pressure and spin.
The disturbed weather off the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts feeding the rainstorms can actually be traced to Tropical Storm Ophelia, which dissipated over the area nearly a week earlier.
Jason Samenow contributed to this report.
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