New York City, Northeast under flash flood warning; heavy rains could impact subway system

New York City was hit with major subway delays and road closures as the city and other parts of the Northeast braced for flash floods on Friday morning following torrential rains.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning throughout Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and some parts of New Jersey through Friday night.

"There's a lot of areas that have already seen three, four, four and a half inches of rain and they're certainly going to see probably twice that when it's all said and done," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines told USA TODAY. "Today is not a pretty picture."

Midtown Manhattan, the Bronx, and multiple areas in New Jersey and Westchester endured over an inch of rain on Thursday evening the NWS reported. New York City's emergency management warned that the city could experience a possible seven inches of rain.

NYC subway system status

The heavy rain threatened major disruptions to the morning commute in the city. FDR Drive and Delancey Street were closed in both directions, and the Belt Parkway closed Exit 6 due to the conditions, the NYPD announced via X, formerly known as Twitter.

The MTA also completely suspended the Harlem and New Haven train lines due to flooding, the agency announced.

"The morning rush hour, I mean it's usually a slow go anyway, but in a lot of cases, it's a no-go this morning," Kines said. "There's a lot of roadways that are underwater and that'll probably continue for a good chunk of the morning into the afternoon."

“All New Yorkers need to exercise caution," said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol in a press release. "If you must travel, consider using public transportation and allow for extra travel time, and if you must drive, do not enter flooded roadways. If you live in a basement apartment, especially in a flood prone area, be prepared to move to higher ground.”

The MTA activated its 24-hour situation room after running inspections of subway stations vulnerable to flooding in preparation for the floods on Thursday.

“This is a serious storm, and we’re taking it seriously,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber in a press release. “We have a detailed plan in place to protect our network and deliver safe service throughout the storm. MTA crews have been deployed at strategic locations so they can respond quickly.” 

Rainwater would inevitably seep into the subway system and impact infrastructure, according to the agency. It stands ready to deploy emergency trucks, deployable pumps, debris trains and pump trains in the event of flooding conditions.

Flooding in Brooklyn and Queens

JFK Airport was drenched in over three inches of rain, as of Friday morning, while La Guardia Airport endured nearly 1.5 inches. Both airports warned flyers of cancellations and flight disruptions due to the severe weather.

Videos and photos posted to social media showed roads in Brooklyn inundated with rain, with cars sitting in multiple feet of flood water

The rainy conditions are expected to continue through Friday night, but should dissipate over the weekend. "If the sun doesn't come out tomorrow, it should certainly be out on Sunday," Kines said