Flash flooding and dangerous travel conditions hit East Coast
The tri-state area was hard-hit, with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declaring a state of emergency, first responders commandeering local cars to rescue people stuck in floods, and widespread flight cancellations and delays.
In New York City, doomsday-like videos showed floods reaching the subway platforms.
The Big Apple experienced a daily record rainfall of 2.64 inches, with 2.07 inches falling in less than one hour. Monday's hourly rainfall rate exceeded NYC's stormwater system's capacity, which is designed to withstand 1.75 inches per hour, prompting subway flooding.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, flooding was reported on Route 22 and Route 27, and residents were advised to stay indoors.
In North Plainfield, New Jersey, a house exploded around 11:30 p.m. on Monday. Firefighters arrived at the home and found it engulfed in flames as severe floodwaters swept the neighborhood. The occupants were not home, however, after they had evacuated to higher ground before the explosion, according to North Plainfield Fire Chief William Eaton.
In Plainfield, a temporary shelter was opened for displaced locals.
On the ground, first responders worked around the clock to rescue people from submerged vehicles.
"Pretty scary. I'm lucky because I didn't have my kids with me," one woman told TODAY after a front-loader construction vehicle picked up trapped drivers and brought them to higher ground.
Violet Frederick said police helped her to safety before using her Jeep for more rescues.
"Then they go, 'OK, take everything you need out of your car, we need to go rescue people now,'" she told NBC New York.
A flash flood emergency was declared overnight for Petersburg, Virginia, where three to six inches of rain fell across the area in just a couple of hours.
A flood watch is in effect for central and eastern Virginia, as well as lower Maryland, through midnight Tuesday.
"Very heavy rainfall over the past 24 hrs has led to very saturated ground, and it will not take much more rainfall to quickly cause additional flash flooding," the National Weather Service Office of Wakefield said early Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in Plant City, Florida, east of Tampa, nearly 10 inches of rain fell in three hours, surpassing the criteria of a 1,000-year rain event.
More flooding is possible on Tuesday with 12 million people under flood watches this morning across central Texas, eastern Oklahoma, into Arkansas, and parts of Virginia and North Carolina.
everal different regions are at risk for flooding, including the Mid-Atlantic (Virginia to North Carolina), central Florida, the Hill Country of Texas, which suffered deadly floods over the Fourth of July weekend, southern Arizona, and the Upper Midwest.
Across all of these regions, afternoon thunderstorms capable of producing rainfall rates of one to two inches or more per hour could cause flash flooding.
A flood watch is in effect for the Rio Grande, Edwards Plateau, Hill Country, and Interstate 35 corridor in Texas through 1 p.m. CT on Tuesday, with one to three inches of rain expected, with isolated amounts of up to six inches possible.
The Hill Country is still reeling from Fourth of July flooding that killed 132 and left over 100 people missing. Flash flooding may occur as rivers are 'already running at above normal levels,' the National Weather Service warned.
On Monday night, Maverick County, on the southwest border of Texas near the Mexico border, issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Quemado and Normandy communities due to the heavy rain and rising water levels.
"NOW IS THE TIME TO EVACUATE. DO NOT WAIT," the county wrote on Facebook.
Fires
To the west, nearly 60,000 acres have burned in the White Sage and Dragon Bravo Fires near the Grand Canyon, forcing the closure of the North Rim of the beloved national park.
The Dragon Bravo Fire began on July 4 near the canyon's North Rim. Days later, the White Sage fire ignited 35 miles north, just outside of the park, and has since quadrupled in size. Both were caused by lightning.
As of Tuesday morning, the Dragon Bravo Fire has burned 8,750 acres and remains at 0% containment, while the White Sage Fire has burned 51,922 acres and also stands at 0% containment.
More than 70 structures have been lost in the blazes, and over 500 people have been evacuated.
The historic Grand Canyon Lodge, a gem of American history, was lost to the flames Saturday. Built in 1928, it was the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim and served as a well-known park landmark.
"It has been a trying week for everyone. We had approximately 50 employees who were evacuated from the North Rim this last weekend, and the loss is devastating. We lost a lot of our employee housing for the National Park Service," Public Affairs Officer Joelle Baird told NBC News.
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The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
How climate crisis makes rainstorms that flooded New York more common
Monday night's downpour was one of the most intense rainstorms in New York City history, the kind of storm that's now happening much more often due to climate warming. More than 2in of rain fell in New York City's Central Park in the 7pm hour on Monday evening, part of a regional downpour that filled the city's highways and subway tunnels and prompted several water rescues. Rains were even more intense elsewhere in the region. More than 2in of rain fell in just 30 minutes in Brewster, New York, in the Hudson Valley. In Union County, New Jersey, more than 6in of rain fell in little more than an hour and at least two people died as the vehicle they were traveling in was washed off the road. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey governor, declared a state of emergency due to the heavy rainfall and advised people to avoid unnecessary travel. 'Jersey is FLOODING. I've never ever seen the highways flood. This is crazy. The climate crisis is literally outside right now,' wrote one person from New Jersey on social media. The rains came as the result of what the National Weather Service called a 'quickly evolving scenario' as a slow-moving cold front began interacting with extremely moisture-laden air drawn westward from the warmer-than-normal Atlantic Ocean. The NWS had given the hardest-hit regions, including New York City, advanced notice with numerous flood warnings. Intense periods of rain like the one on Monday have been causing increasing problems throughout the region as the climate changes. NYC now endures one extra day of heavy rain each year, on average, compared with the late 19th century. A widely shared video appeared to show floodwaters erupting from the sewer system like a geyser at the 28th Street station in midtown Manhattan, pouring into a stalled subway car filled with people. 'What happened last night is something that is a reality for our system,' said Janno Lieber, CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in an interview with a New York City television station. 'The storm water system gets backed up and gets overwhelmed and tunnels into the stations.' While the city's subway systems are designed to drain a maximum of 1.75in of rainwater per hour, the 2.07in of rain was the sixth-highest hourly total since New York City weather records began in 1869 and the most intense rainstorm since the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021. Ida caused 14 deaths in the north-east, most of whom died in flooded basement apartments. A rainstorm exceeding the subway design limit had never been recorded before 1991 but has happened six times since then, including Monday's rains. A study published last year showed rainstorms like the one during Ida are now between four and 52 times more likely due to the climate crisis. A separate study in 2021 found a similar result and also found that rainstorms in the north-east region are the fastest increasing in the nation. Over the past three years, Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, has allocated more than $1bn to stormwater improvements in the city. Still, that amount is far lower than what experts say is needed to update the city's ageing infrastructure for the current climate reality, not even what is expected in the future. 'We have an infrastructure that was designed for an environment we no longer live in,' Rohit Aggarwala, New York City's chief climate officer, told the New York Times. In addition to the rising impact of freshwater floods, the region also has to deal with a simultaneously increasing threat from the expanding Atlantic Ocean. The city's flood resiliency plan anticipates it will need $46bn to protect against a one-in-100-year storm. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion The flooding in New Jersey comes as the state is contemplating sweeping changes to expand its flood zones and require new properties to be elevated if they are built in areas likely to flood at least once in the next 100 years. Research published this month shows wintertime storms in the north-east are also getting more destructive as sea levels rise and the receding Arctic sea ice helps morph weather patterns into more exaggerated and powerful iterations. The most destructive recent example of this kind of storm was Superstorm Sandy, a hybrid nor'easter and hurricane that filled New York City's subway tunnels with saltwater and caused $19bn of damage in the city. As climate warming continues, it's likely that flooding is going to keep getting worse. Rainfall intensity in the north-east could increase by a further 52% by the end of the century, according to a recent study. The heavy rains in north-east US come as several other parts of the country, including central Texas, endure one of the most intense flood seasons in recent memory. According to statistics compiled by meteorologist Michael Lowry, the NWS has issued more flood warnings this year than in any other year since that type of warning began in 1986. On Monday alone, 96 flood warnings were issued – the most for any July day on record. Eric Holthaus is a meteorologist and climate journalist based in Minnesota
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Reuters
Severe storms in New York City area kill two in New Jersey floods
NEW YORK, July 15 (Reuters) - Two people were killed in New Jersey during flash flooding as severe storms lashed the New York City area on Monday night into Tuesday, submerging cars and flooding subway stations. The intense rainfall caused widespread travel disruption across the region's airports, highways and railways. More than 2 inches (5 cm) of rain were recorded in a single hour in Manhattan's Central Park, the second most for a 60-minute period in history, according to Mayor Eric Adams. Videos showed flooding in several subway stations on Monday evening, including a geyser of water spewing into a station on Manhattan's West Side. Officials said the subway system was simply overwhelmed by the amount of rainfall in such a short amount of time. The antiquated sewer system can handle around 1.75 inches (4.44 cm)of rainfall per hour, Rohit Aggarwala, the city's environmental protection commissioner, told reporters on Tuesday, compared with a rate of more than 4 inches an hour at the storm's peak. "I probably don't recall seeing that level of rain before," Adams said. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and said two people died in Plainfield when their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters. The victims were found in a submerged car, Murphy told reporters. Murphy said that some places got 6 inches (15.25 cm) of rain in less than 2.5 hours and that it appeared some locations experienced flooding for the first time. The governor blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. "That's the new reality," he said. In Westchester County, north of the city, authorities conducted multiple water rescues as cars were submerged and highways shut down due to flooding. In nearby Rockland County, the suburb of Nanuet recorded more than 5 inches (12.7 cm) of rain, according to the National Weather Service.
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- The Guardian
How climate crisis makes rainstorms that flooded New York more common
Monday night's downpour was one of the most intense rainstorms in New York City history, the kind of storm that's now happening much more often due to climate warming. More than 2in of rain fell in New York City's Central Park in the 7pm hour on Monday evening, part of a regional downpour that filled the city's highways and subway tunnels and prompted several water rescues. Rains were even more intense elsewhere in the region. More than 2in of rain fell in just 30 minutes in Brewster, New York, in the Hudson Valley. In Union County, New Jersey, more than 6in of rain fell in little more than an hour and at least two people died as the vehicle they were traveling in was washed off the road. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey governor, declared a state of emergency due to the heavy rainfall and advised people to avoid unnecessary travel. 'Jersey is FLOODING. I've never ever seen the highways flood. This is crazy. The climate crisis is literally outside right now,' wrote one person from New Jersey on social media. The rains came as the result of what the National Weather Service called a 'quickly evolving scenario' as a slow-moving cold front began interacting with extremely moisture-laden air drawn westward from the warmer-than-normal Atlantic Ocean. The NWS had given the hardest-hit regions, including New York City, advanced notice with numerous flood warnings. Intense periods of rain like the one on Monday have been causing increasing problems throughout the region as the climate changes. NYC now endures one extra day of heavy rain each year, on average, compared with the late 19th century. A widely shared video appeared to show floodwaters erupting from the sewer system like a geyser at the 28th Street station in midtown Manhattan, pouring into a stalled subway car filled with people. 'What happened last night is something that is a reality for our system,' said Janno Lieber, CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in an interview with a New York City television station. 'The storm water system gets backed up and gets overwhelmed and tunnels into the stations.' While the city's subway systems are designed to drain a maximum of 1.75in of rainwater per hour, the 2.07in of rain was the sixth-highest hourly total since New York City weather records began in 1869 and the most intense rainstorm since the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021. Ida caused 14 deaths in the north-east, most of whom died in flooded basement apartments. A rainstorm exceeding the subway design limit had never been recorded before 1991 but has happened six times since then, including Monday's rains. A study published last year showed rainstorms like the one during Ida are now between four and 52 times more likely due to the climate crisis. A separate study in 2021 found a similar result and also found that rainstorms in the north-east region are the fastest increasing in the nation. Over the past three years, Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, has allocated more than $1bn to stormwater improvements in the city. Still, that amount is far lower than what experts say is needed to update the city's ageing infrastructure for the current climate reality, not even what is expected in the future. 'We have an infrastructure that was designed for an environment we no longer live in,' Rohit Aggarwala, New York City's chief climate officer, told the New York Times. In addition to the rising impact of freshwater floods, the region also has to deal with a simultaneously increasing threat from the expanding Atlantic Ocean. The city's flood resiliency plan anticipates it will need $46bn to protect against a one-in-100-year storm. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion The flooding in New Jersey comes as the state is contemplating sweeping changes to expand its flood zones and require new properties to be elevated if they are built in areas likely to flood at least once in the next 100 years. Research published this month shows wintertime storms in the north-east are also getting more destructive as sea levels rise and the receding Arctic sea ice helps morph weather patterns into more exaggerated and powerful iterations. The most destructive recent example of this kind of storm was Superstorm Sandy, a hybrid nor'easter and hurricane that filled New York City's subway tunnels with saltwater and caused $19bn of damage in the city. As climate warming continues, it's likely that flooding is going to keep getting worse. Rainfall intensity in the north-east could increase by a further 52% by the end of the century, according to a recent study. The heavy rains in north-east US come as several other parts of the country, including central Texas, endure one of the most intense flood seasons in recent memory. According to statistics compiled by meteorologist Michael Lowry, the NWS has issued more flood warnings this year than in any other year since that type of warning began in 1986. On Monday alone, 96 flood warnings were issued – the most for any July day on record. Eric Holthaus is a meteorologist and climate journalist based in Minnesota
