Heavy rain and violent thunderstorms swept across New York City late Wednesday, unleashing severe flash floods that stranded motorists, submerged vehicles and disrupted transportation across several boroughs.
The intense storm system dumped torrential rainfall and brought wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, leaving roads underwater and commuters scrambling for safety as floodwaters rapidly overwhelmed major highways and neighbourhood streets.
Videos shared online showed dramatic scenes of drivers climbing onto the roofs of their vehicles after becoming trapped by rising water along the Jackie Robinson Parkway and other flood-prone routes in Queens.
In one widely circulated clip, a bystander waded through chest-deep floodwaters to help rescue a stranded motorist whose car had become submerged.
According to weather reports, Queens recorded some of the heaviest rainfall in the city, with 2.57 inches measured in Bellerose within a short period. Residents described the flooding as sudden and unusually intense.
“It was violent, and it was very, very fast,” resident Christina Moloon told local media while describing the speed at which streets became inundated.
The storms caused widespread traffic disruptions across major roadways, including sections of Interstate 495 in Fresh Meadows, the Grand Central Parkway and the Cross-Island Parkway, all of which were temporarily shut down due to dangerous flooding conditions.
Authorities were also forced to close an underpass near 78th Street after two vehicles became trapped in several feet of water.
Charlton D’Souza, a Queens Village resident and founder of the nonprofit group Passengers United, described the flooding as among the worst he had witnessed in the area.
“It was some of the worst flooding I have seen,” he said while documenting his difficult commute home during the storm.
Across parts of Queens, residents sought shelter anywhere possible as streets transformed into fast-moving streams. Some commuters stood on bus stop benches to avoid rising water, while others attempted unsuccessfully to clear blocked drains using brushes and makeshift tools.
In Hillside and Jamaica, Queens, residents said entire streets flooded within minutes.
“It happened in a span of 25 minutes,” one social media user wrote as videos showed water rushing through intersections and surrounding parked vehicles.
The storms also caused damage beyond New York City. Fallen trees were reported from Staten Island to Brooklyn, blocking roads and damaging property as residents worked to clear debris from neighbourhood streets.
Along the New Jersey coastline near Brooklyn Harbor, officials reported that an electrical transporter exploded during the storm, bringing down power lines and causing additional disruptions.
The powerful weather system also triggered a dramatic drop in temperatures across the region. Meteorologists said temperatures at Newark plunged from 91 degrees Fahrenheit to 72 degrees within just 35 minutes as the storm moved through the area.
Forecasters warned that additional rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms could continue to affect parts of the northeastern United States, raising concerns about further flooding in already saturated areas.
