Heavy rain pummels the East Coast and sparks isolated flash flooding
[August 01, 2025]
By PHILIP MARCELO
Strong rain storms lashed the East Coast Thursday, delaying flights
throughout the region and prompting emergency rescues of motorists
trapped in deep water on busy highways from the Philadelphia area to New
York City.
In New York, flash flooding briefly closed sections of major roadways
and flooded train stations across the metropolitan region as the evening
rush hour approached.
Commuters captured video of water pouring over a train on a platform in
Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal and water pooling on the floor of a
city bus as it pushed through a flooded Brooklyn street.
Riders of one Long Island-bound commuter train were evacuated by
firefighters as floodwaters rose. Other commuter rail lines on Long
Island and New Jersey were suspended or severely delayed.
Amtrak officials announced Thursday evening that trains between
Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware were stopped because of severe
storms sending high water over the tracks.
“Once a route is available, anticipate residual delays,” company
officials posted on X.
Traffic cameras and social media posts on a highway in the New York City
borough of Queens showed motorists at one point standing on the roofs of
stranded vehicles and a tractor-trailer nearly fully submerged. Police
said they pulled cars carrying two people from the flooded stretch
before the waters receded and traffic slowly resumed.
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.
[to top of second column]
|
A woman walks in the rain next to Gramercy Park, Thursday, July 31,
2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Hassell)
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.
__
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.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
