New York City hit with flash floods, leaving drivers submerged

Heavy rain and thunderstorms battered New York City with violent flash flooding and strong winds. Drivers were stranded and forced to seek refuge on top of their cars as floodwaters swept commuters off their feet and overwhelmed vehicles. Storm warnings were issued, while Queens experienced especially severe conditions with heavy rainfall reported in Bellerose. Several subway services were disrupted, and major roadways including I-495, Grand Central Parkway eastbound lanes, and the Cross-Island Expressway were closed. People waded through floodwaters to rescue stranded drivers, while others stood on bus shelter benches or tried to direct water toward drains. Debris and downed trees spread across areas, and additional infrastructure damage occurred including downed wires and an explosion along the New Jersey coastline.

"New York City was pummeled with heavy rain and thunderstorms, leaving stranded drivers forced to seek refuge atop their cars amid violent flash flooding. Wild footage showed commuters being swept off their feet and cars being overwhelmed as the deluge of rain and 60-mph winds battered the city late Wednesday. Storm warnings were in place across New York City - but Queens felt the brunt of the tempest with 2.57 inches reported in Bellerose, according to Fox Weather meteorologist Christopher Tate."

"Several subway services were also disrupted, further compounding travelers' woes. Commuters' trips home were thrown into chaos, with the I-495 in Fresh Meadows, the Grand Central Parkway eastbound lanes, and the Cross-Island Expressway in Bellerose were all closed. It was "some of the worst flooding I have seen," said Queens Village native Charlton D'Souza, founder of nonprofit organization Passengers United, who filmed from inside his chaotic bus ride home."

"Drivers stranded on the Jackie Robinson Parkway were forced to clamber onto the roof of their cars. Video showed a good Samaritan wading through the floodwaters on the Jackie Robinson Parkway to rescue one stranded driver. Cops were forced to seal off an underpass near 78th Street when two cars were trapped in several feet of water, according to CBS. "It was violent, and it was very, very fast," Christina Moloon told the outlet, describing the water's ferocity."

"New Yorkers resorted to standing on bus shelter benches - just to avoid being drenched by the storm - while others used brushes to guide floodwater toward the drains, to no avail. Scenes looked biblical in Hillside, Jamaica, Queens - with one X user saying the floods hit within a "span of 25 minutes." Trees from Staten Island to Brooklyn were taken down by the storms, leaving residents scrambling to clear debris. A transporter along the New Jersey coastline, across from Brooklyn Harbor, exploded, and wires were brought down."

Read at New York Post