Severe storms in New York City area kill two in New Jersey floods

NEW YORK – Two people were killed in New Jersey during flash flooding as severe storms lashed the New York City area on July 14 and 15, submerging cars and flooding subway stations.

The intense rainfall caused widespread travel disruption across the region’s airports, highways and railways.

More than 5cm of rain was recorded in a single hour in Manhattan’s Central Park, the second-most for a 60-minute period in history, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

Videos showed flooding in several subway stations on July 14 evening, including a geyser of water spewing into a station on Manhattan’s West Side.

Officials said the subway system was simply overwhelmed by the amount of rainfall in such a short amount of time. The antiquated sewer system can handle around 44.5mm of rainfall an hour, Mr Rohit Aggarwala, the city’s environmental protection commissioner, told reporters on July 15, compared with a rate of more than 101.6mm an hour at the storm’s peak.

“I probably don’t recall seeing that level of rain before,” Mr Adams said.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and said two people died in Plainfield when their vehicle was swept away by flood waters.

The victims were found in a submerged car, Mr Murphy told reporters.

He said that some places received 152.5mm of rain in less than 2½ hours and that it appeared some locations experienced flooding for the first time. The governor blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

“That’s the new reality,” he said.

In Westchester County, north of New York City, the authorities conducted multiple water rescues as cars were submerged and highways shut down because of flooding.

In nearby Rockland County, the suburb of Nanuet recorded more than 127mm of rain, according to the National Weather Service. REUTERS