Heavy rainstorms swept across the East Coast on Thursday, causing flight delays throughout the area and necessitating emergency rescues of drivers caught in high water on busy highways from the Philadelphia region to New York City.
In New York, flash floods temporarily shut down parts of major highways and inundated train stations around the metro area as the evening rush hour loomed.
Commuters recorded footage of water cascading over a train platform at Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal and water accumulating on the floor of a city bus navigating through a flooded street in Brooklyn.
Passengers on a Long Island-bound commuter train were evacuated by firefighters as floodwaters rose. Other commuter rail services on Long Island and in New Jersey faced suspension or significant delays.
Amtrak reported Thursday night that severe storms caused high water on the tracks, halting trains between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.
“Once a route is available, anticipate residual delays,” company officials posted on X.
Traffic cameras and social media from a highway in Queens, New York City, depicted motorists at one point standing on top of trapped vehicles, including a tractor-trailer almost completely submerged. Police reported rescuing cars with two people from the flooded section before the waters receded and traffic gradually began moving again.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other local officials pleaded with people to stay off the roads and urged residents in basement apartments to move to higher locations as rain was expected to fall through Friday afternoon.
In Pennsylvania, National Weather Service warnings of up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain in an hour produced flooding in Reading, a city about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia.
Photos and videos online showed parked cars nearly underwater and water pouring down a narrow city street. Other videos from Reading showed emergency vehicles blocking off some streets or underpasses as flood waters had rendered them impassable.
In Maryland, emergency responders rescued multiple people from flooded vehicles in communities northeast of Baltimore.
Officials there also preemptively closed roads prone to flooding, shuttered schools and libraries early and opened emergency shelters as more thunderstorms were expected across Maryland. Flood watches and warnings were issued across the state.
Airports in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia all reported scores of flight delays and cancellations into Thursday evening.
Tornado warnings in New Jersey came and went with no reports of twisters, though more than 14,000 electricity customers were without power as of Thursday evening.
States of emergency were declared in New Jersey and New York City, though flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings were lifted in New York City by Thursday night.
Flood watches and severe thunderstorm watches posted in other locations remained in effect into Friday morning, with 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain possible in some areas of the East Coast.
The weather service warned flooding was possible in small creeks and streams and along highways, streets, underpasses and places with poor drainage. Some areas could also see high wind gusts and hail.
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Marcelo reported from East Meadow, New York. Associated Press reporters Jennifer Peltz in New York; Anthony Izaguirre and Michael Hill in Albany; Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey, and Lea Skene in Baltimore contributed to this story.
