Flash floods kill 2 in New Jersey, strand subway riders in NYC
Intense rain inundated towns across the mid-Atlantic on Monday afternoon, flooding homes and causing travel nightmares. NYC measured extreme rainfall that broke a record from 1908.
Drenching rain led to flooding from Washington, D.C., to New York City on July 14, hitting highways, train stations and neighborhoods alike.
A state of emergency was declared in New Jersey after slow-moving thunderstorms unloaded a significant amount of rain, resulting in dangerous flash flooding across the Northeast Monday into Monday night.
At least two people died in Plainfield, New Jersey, located about 20 miles southwest of New York City, after floodwaters swept away a vehicle. Emergency personnel responded to the incident quickly, but both people in the vehicle were pronounced dead on the scene.
"All of Plainfield grieves this latest loss, Mayor Adrian O. Mapp said. "We mourn with the families, and we remain committed to doing all we can to strengthen our emergency response system and protect our residents from future harm."
Some roads were impassable Tuesday morning, littered with debris left behind by the floodwaters.
'It's not safe': Flooding strands people in NYC subway
On Monday evening, a thunderstorm parked over New York City unleashed 2.07 inches of rain in just one hour, making the 7 o'clock hour one of the wettest in city history. The rain continued throughout the first half of the night, with the rain gauge in Central Park filling up with 2.64 inches of rain, which broke the previous daily record rainfall of 1.47 inches, set on July 14, 1908.
Floodwaters clogged streets, stairways turned into waterfalls and water gushed into subway stations, stranding some riders aboard a stalled train. One passenger captured the moment on video when an announcement came over the intercom: “I can’t open the doors, it’s not safe.”
Water was filling into a New York City subway train on July 14, trapping passengers inside while waves of floodwaters filled the station.
Over 1,000 flights were canceled and 1,100 more delayed at airports across the NYC area on Monday, according to FlightAware.
High water rescues across the Northeast
Heavy rain and flooding prompted emergency response elsewhere across the Northeast as inches of rain soaked towns and neighborhoods from Virginia to Massachusetts.
A Declaration of Disaster was issued in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, after over 7 inches of rain inundated the town of Mount Joy in less than five hours, which overwhelmed stormwater infrastructure. "The west end of town was hardest hit, with reports of over 5 feet of water in some homes," the Mount Joy Fire Department said on Facebook "Significant property damage was reported, including one basement wall collapse."
More flooding possible in mid-Atlantic
The flood threat will remain elevated across the mid-Atlantic as additional rounds of rain and thunderstorms sweep through the region heading into the weekend.
