NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A storm packing heavy rains and winds soaked the New York City area late Tuesday into Wednesday, leaving a path of flooding and power outages in its wake.
Roughly 2 to 3 inches of rain fell atop already saturated ground and amid ongoing snowmelt from last weekend's storm. Some spots even saw 4 inches. Rainfall is 170% above the historical seasonal average for New York City, with well over 30 inches recorded since Sept. 1.
"Mother Nature's throwing everything at us," Mayor Eric Adams told 1010 WINS on Tuesday night as the storm was lashing the city.
There were roughly 50,000 customers without power across the major utilities in New York City, New Jersey, Long Island and the Hudson Valley early Wednesday.
The FAA issued brief ground stops at LaGuardia and JFK airports on late Tuesday, and hours-long delays were reported for flights overnight, according to NYC Emergency Management.
Nearly 2,000 migrants were relocated from the Floyd Bennett Field tent encampment to a Brooklyn high school due to the severe weather.
Flooding was causing numerous issues on roadways, including on the Bronx River Parkway, which was totally flooded in both directions at Exit 10 near the Westchester County line.
A wall collapsed behind an auto body shop on Carter Avenue in the Mt. Hope section of the Bronx. No one was hurt.
Video shows the Saddle River loaded with floodwater in Lodi, where several rescues took place.
As high tide neared closer on Long Island on Wednesday morning, parts of the southern shore were already inundated by coastal flooding. In Nassau County, video showed cars sloshing through water that had collected on the streets of Freeport. Near the Hamptons, the National Weather Service reported major flooding out of Shinnecock Bay. Several schools across Long Island said they were either canceling or delaying classes.
The storm had moved out by daybreak Wednesday, but major flooding will continue to be a concern until the next windy rainstorm hits Friday night and brings another 1 to 2 inches of rain, according to AccuWeather.
Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph, and gusts up to 50 mph, are still possible Wednesday as temps stick to the 50s during the day.
Flood and wind advisories were set to last into the day Wednesday, including a Coastal Flood Warning for a swath of Long Island and the Jersey Shore. Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx are under a Wind Advisory until 8 p.m.
Clouds will give way to some sun Wednesday ahead of mostly sunny skies on Thursday and Friday. But the third big storm of the week on Friday night will renew flooding concerns, according to AccuWeather.
Looking ahead to next week, it will become blustery and sharply colder starting Sunday as an Arctic blast moves in. Highs will only be in the 30s most days, and there's a possibility of snow and sleet on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.