New York, New Jersey flooding: State of emergency declared as summer storm moves in
An intense summer storm has Americans and tourists under a state of emergency declaration, as flash flooding, a tornado warning and dangerous conditions hit New York, New Jersey and neighbouring states.
A state of emergency has been declared in New York City and surrounding counties, as well as much of the state of New Jersey.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: “This weather is no joke, New York,” pleading for those in the area to take warnings seriously.
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A daily rainfall outlook map issued by the Weather Prediction Centre put the risk of “excessive” showers capable of triggering flash floods at 40 per cent or higher for a swath of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast that is home to 37 million people.
Commuters were told to try and get hold early before the worst of the conditions set in during the early evening.
In New York, as rains set in, streets turned to rivers, subways flooded, and commuters got soaked.
Video on social media showed commuters on the subway climbing on the fencing rails in an attempt to stay above water.
Those closer to the entry saw water gushing through the tiles and walls.
Areas of Queens went underwater as the storm set in.
Buses attempting to drive on roads became stuck in New Jersey.
Others in New York were filled with water.
A brave motorbike driver was seen driving through a flooded intersection.
Official warnings and tornado watch alerts
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy warned locals to stay away from flood waters as the intense system hit on Thursday local time.
“Please avoid all unnecessary travel this evening. Most flood-related fatalities occur in vehicles, he said in a statement.
Flooding in some areas of New Jersey could reach six feet, with the current flood watch warning in place until 6am Friday local time.
A tornado warning has been issued for South Plainfield, Carteret and North Plainfield.
Severe thunderstorm watches were also in effect across much of the Interstate-95 corridor, but forecasters said flash flood risks were starting to fade Thursday night.
The severe thunderstorm watch warning is in place for Delaware, Washington DC, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Flight chaos as New York storm sets in
Stormy weather during the day appeared to be a key factor disrupting commercial air travel across the Northeast.
The eight major airports serving the region - Washington Dulles, Baltimore-Washington, Ronald Reagan Washington National, Philadelphia, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Boston Logan - accounted for the cancellation of at least 1170 flights into, out of or within the US, according to online flight tracking service FlightAware. Hundreds more flights were delayed.
Passenger rail travel was also hampered, with Amtrak reporting service suspended between Philadelphia and Wilmington due to severe storms flooding the tracks. Service was restored about two hours later as water receded, but “residual delays” were expected, Amtrak said on X.
- with Reuters.
