Flash Floods Grind New York To A Halt; Roads Submerged, Subway Suspended
New York Floods: Relentless downpours caused flash floods in New York and New Jersey, halting public transit and submerging major roads.
Relentless downpours pummeled New York and New Jersey unleashing sudden flash floods that brought public transit to a halt, submerged major roadways and forced both states to declare states of emergency. In New York City, parts of the subway system ground to a stop as floodwaters rushed into underground stations, disrupting service and stranding commuters. Videos widely shared on social media showed water cascading into a Manhattan subway station, flooding platforms and prompting some passengers to stand on train seats to escape rising water.
Severe flooding hits New York City and surrounding areas after intense rainfall on with a Flash Flood Warning in effect until 9:30 PM EDT for all five boroughs, including Monsey, per NWS.Manhattan's FDR Drive and the 1 train platform at 23rd Street Station are inundated,… pic.twitter.com/vcgNYrYkUe
— Laszlo Varga (@LaszloRealtor) July 15, 2025
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reported multiple line suspensions and severe delays as the city's emergency management agency warned of flash flooding across several boroughs, particularly Manhattan and mid-Hudson region. Major roadways like the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Cross Bronx Expressway were temporarily closed due to water accumulation and at least one reported fallen tree, further snarling traffic across the metro area.
New Jersey faced similarly dangerous conditions as Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency, urging residents to stay indoors and off the roads. Local transit, including New Jersey transit buses and trains, experienced delays and reroutes as flooding overwhelmed infrastructure. In Metuchen, Mayor Jonathan M. Busch said the borough had been 'significantly flooded."
New Jersey was hit hard by flash flooding as slow-moving thunderstorms dumped 4-7 inches of rain across the state, triggering a state of emergency declared by the Governor.Areas like New Providence, Plainfield, Scotch Plains are severely impacted, with roads and homes flooded. pic.twitter.com/55zDAMjO6L
— RenderNature (@RenderNature) July 15, 2025
'It looks like the worst of the storm is behind us and thankfully, everyone is safe," Jonathan Busch said in a Facebook post.
Travel Warnings and Ongoing Threat
Flash flood watches and warnings remained in effect across the region while officials in Westchester County reported ongoing vehicle rescues due to submerged cars, as authorities pleaded with the public to stay home unless evacuating.
'Residents are still strongly advised to avoid all travel unless fleeing an area that is subject to flooding," Carolyn Fortino, a spokesperson for the Westchester County executive, said.
Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
view comments
First Published:
July 15, 2025, 16:46 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Leaf Rapids wildfires top 30,000 hectares as firefighters, essential workers forced to flee
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel All firefighters and essential workers have been ordered to evacuate Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, after a wildfire burning northwest of the town entered the community on Wednesday, July 23 a Facebook post at 8:15 p.m. CDT, the town's administration said the fire jumped the Churchill River and began spreading through Leaf Rapids' industrial to the fire's advance and thick smoke, officials said all personnel were evacuating and may not return for some of Tuesday, the fire northwest of Leaf Rapids had grown to over 2,500 hectares. It is the smallest of the three major fires near the town. A second fire southwest of Leaf Rapids measured more than 30,300 hectares. A third to the east had reached 15,500 province confirmed that all three wildfires remain out of Rapids, located about 155 kilometres northwest of Thompson, declared a state of emergency on July 7. Around 300 residents were told to evacuate within 24 Bighetty, a former mayor of Leaf Rapids, has been staying with his family in a Winnipeg hotel since the evacuation two weeks ago. He told CBC News that he was saddened to hear that firefighters were leaving the community."I don't know when we're going to go home, if we're going to have a home to go to," he said. "But what matters to me is that my family is safe. I know where they are, I can go down the hallway and go see them."In its statement, the town urged residents to 'hope for the best,' adding, 'be thankful everyone got out safely.'
News18
17-07-2025
- News18
Flash Floods Hit NYC, New Jersey Declares State Of Emergency As Intense Rainfall Predicted
Last Updated: The National Weather Service has also issued flash flood warnings across all five boroughs of New York City. Flash floods wreaked havoc across New York City and northern New Jersey, prompting emergency alerts and evacuations after torrential rainfall battered parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Monday night. In view of the situation across cities, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency. Taking to X, he wrote, 'I am declaring a State of Emergency given flash flooding and high levels of rainfall in parts of the state." 'Please stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. Stay safe, New Jersey," he urged. I am declaring a State of Emergency given flash flooding and high levels of rainfall in parts of the stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. Stay safe, New Jersey. — Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) July 14, 2025 Flash Flood Warning The National Weather Service has also issued flash flood warnings across all five boroughs of New York City. Following this, the officials have urged residents of basement flats to prepare for rapid evacuation, India Today reported. 'If you live in a basement flat, stay alert. Flash flooding can happen with little warning, including overnight," New York City Emergency Management posted on X, adding, 'Keep a phone, torch, and Go Bag nearby. Be ready to move to higher ground." The Chelsea neighbourhood in Manhattan recorded 1.47 inches of rain by 7:30 pm, while Staten Island saw 1.67 inches, according to city emergency updates. In addition to this, more rain was forecasted for later in the night. Meanwhile, authorities are monitoring the flood-prone areas and are urging residents to remain cautious as conditions may worsen. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
16-07-2025
- Business Standard
2 dead in New Jersey after flood carries away vehicle during heavy rains
Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, noted the deaths occurred in the northern New Jersey city of Plainfield where there were two storm-related deaths July 3. AP New York Two people in New Jersey were killed after their vehicle was swept up in flood waters during a storm that moved across the U.S. Northeast overnight, authorities said Tuesday. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, noted the deaths occurred in the northern New Jersey city of Plainfield where there were two storm-related deaths July 3. A third person was killed in North Plainfield during that previous storm. We're not unique, but we're in one of these sort of high humidity, high temperature, high storm intensity patterns right now, Murphy told reporters after touring storm damage in Berkeley Heights. Everybody needs to stay alert. The names of the two latest victims were not immediately released Tuesday. Local officials said the vehicle they were riding in was swept into a brook during the height of the storm. Emergency personnel responded quickly, but tragically, both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement the city posted online. The heavy rains also caused flash floods in New York and south-central Pennsylvania on Monday night into early Tuesday, prompting road closures and snarling some service on the New York City subway. Flooding in the New York subway At one stop in Manhattan, viral videos posted online showed water flooding down into a Manhattan subway station, submerging the platform while passengers inside a train watch. Another photo appears to show passengers standing on a train's seats to avoid the water beginning to soak the floor. Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, told ABC 7 in New York the city's sewer system got overwhelmed by the rain and backed up into the subway tunnels and to the stations. In several cases, he said, the backup popped a manhole, creating the dramatic geyser seen in some videos. What happened last night is something that is, you know, a reality in our system, he told the TV station, noting the backup happens when more than 1 3/4 inches of rain falls in an hour. We've been working with the city of New York to try to get them to increase the capacity of the system at these key locations. Lieber said there was now full subway service, as well as full Long Island Railroad and Metro North commuter rail service after hundreds of people worked overnight to restore operations. Flooding has proven to be a stubborn problem for New York's subway system, despite years and billions of dollars' worth of efforts to waterproof them. Superstorm Sandy in 2012 prompted years of subway repairs and flood-fighting ideas, and some have been put into practice. In some places, transit officials have installed or are installing storm barriers at subway station entrances, seals beneath subway air vents and curbs to raise the vents and entrances above sidewalk level. Meanwhile, summer thunderstorms and the remains of hurricanes have repeatedly flooded parts of the subway system anew. In 2021, the remnants of Hurricane Ida killed more than a dozen New York City residents, largely in basement apartments, and sent water cascading again into subways, renewing attention to resiliency proposals. The storm's effects in New Jersey and Pennsylvania This latest storm prompted multiple water rescues in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where streets and basements flooded after roughly 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain fell. Some roads remained closed in parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey on Tuesday. Murphy said the pavement buckled in some locations and state and local officials were assessing the level of damage in several counties, noting the White House had reached out to his office. A major east-to-west highway in New Jersey was closed to make emergency repairs while dozens of flights were delayed or cancelled at area airports Tuesday, including at least 173 total cancellations at Newark Liberty Airport, according to FlightAware data. Most flash flood watches and warnings had expired in parts of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania as the rain moved on. In one flooded North Plainfield, New Jersey, neighbourhood, a house caught on fire and collapsed. Murphy said there was an explosion at the house but the family was not home and there were no injuries. The cause was under investigation. An overwhelmed sewage system New York City officials said their venerable sewer system worked as well as it could but simply was not built to handle rain that fell at the second-highest rate ever recorded in Central Park, surpassed only by the remnants of 2021's Hurricane Ida. Imagine putting a two-liter bottle of water into a one-liter bottle. Some of it's going to spill, Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said at a virtual news briefing Tuesday. The city doesn't run the subway system it's under the separate Metropolitan Transportation Authority but Aggarwala said the two entities have been collaborating to clean sewers near 45 flood-prone subway stations. The city also has sketched out plans to upgrade sewers to handle more water, estimating it would take USD 30 billion to do so in about 80 areas that need it most. The city currently spends about USD 1 billion a year on stormwater management.
