New York City has been placed in a state of emergency due to the flash flooding that powerful storms have caused.
At least one terminal at LaGuardia Airport was closed on Friday, and other municipal streets, highways, and subway systems have flooded.
Up to seven additional inches (17.8 cm) of rain are expected, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who claimed that up to five inches (12.7 cm) of rain fell in some regions overnight.
She continued, “This is a severe, life-threatening storm.
In response to the unprecedented rainfall the area is experiencing, she issued a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island, & the Hudson Valley on X, formerly known as Twitter.
To keep safe, she warned people to “never attempt to travel on flooded roads.”
There have been no recorded fatalities or serious injuries.
In Hoboken, New Jersey, which is located immediately across the Hudson River from New York City, a state of emergency was also issued.
As the state of emergency was declared, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City issued a warning, urging “heightened alertness & extreme caution” from everyone.
He stated at a press conference that “some of our subways are flooded and it is very difficult to move around the city.”
According to officials, authorities have so far carried out at least six rescues of people stranded in flooded basements.
People could be seen wading through knee-deep water in pictures and videos taken as streets and subways were inundated with rain. Several videos shared on social media appeared to show water gushing onto flooded platforms from the roofs and walls of subway stations.
A flash flood warning is in place for the Brooklyn borough until 14:30 local time (19:30 GMT), where most of the flooding has so far been concentrated.
In one hour, the Brooklyn Navy Yard reported receiving more than 2.5 inches of rain. According to Rohit Aggarwala, chief climate officer for New York, the sewage infrastructure in the city was only built to manage 1.75 inches of rain per hour.
It comes as no surprise that Brooklyn has taken the biggest hit, he said.
Kelly Hayes, a resident of the Gowanus neighborhood, told the BBC that she expected the flood damage to her bar and kitchen to cost between $25,000 and $30,000 (£20,500-$24,500).
If a person didn’t need to go, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recommended them to stay at home.
La Guardia Airport’s Terminal A is temporarily closed due to floods, according to the authorities.
Before departing, passengers were encouraged to confirm with their airline.
The New York Police Department also reported that numerous roads had been shut down and that the National Guard had been called in.
Along a section of the FDR Drive, a significant route along the east side of Manhattan, traffic came to a complete stop as water rose past the tires of the vehicles.
As they attempted to unblock a drain in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, employees walked through knee-deep water while floating cardboard and other garbage passed by.
As of noon (1600 GMT), neither fatalities nor serious injuries were attributed to the storm, according to local officials.
Approximately 18 million people in the New York metropolitan area and other significant cities along the East Coast are currently under flood warnings and advisories from the weather service.
According to data from the National Weather Service, New York City has already experienced nearly 14 inches of rain this month, making it the wettest September since 1882.