Heavy Rains Strike the Eastern Coast of the United States... Causing Flash Floods

SadaNews - Violent rainstorms hit the eastern coast of the United States, Thursday to Friday, leading to flight delays across the region and prompting emergency rescues for drivers trapped in deep waters on busy highways from the Philadelphia area to New York City, according to the Associated Press.

In New York, flash floods briefly closed parts of major roads and inundated train stations across the urban area as the evening rush hour approached.

Firefighters evacuated passengers from a train heading to Long Island as flood waters rose. Other passenger railroad lines were either halted or severely delayed in Long Island and New Jersey.

Amtrak officials announced Thursday evening that trains between Philadelphia and Wilmington in Delaware were stopped due to severe storms that caused water levels to rise over the tracks.

Traffic cameras and social media posts along a highway in Queens, New York, showed drivers at one point standing on the rooftops of stranded vehicles and nearly submerged tow trucks. Police reported that they pulled two people from the submerged area before the waters receded and traffic gradually resumed.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other local officials urged people to stay away from the roads, and advised residents in basement apartments to move to higher ground as rain was expected to continue into Friday afternoon.

In Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service reported rainfall of up to 7.6 cm in one hour and flooding in Reading, a city about 96 kilometers northwest of Philadelphia.

In Maryland, emergency teams rescued several people from cars trapped in floodwaters in areas northeast of Baltimore.

Officials there proactively closed flood-prone roads as well as schools and libraries early, and opened emergency shelters in anticipation of more thunderstorms across Maryland. Flood warnings were issued statewide.

Airports in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia reported dozens of flight delays and cancellations by Thursday evening.

Tornado warnings were issued in New Jersey, which ended without any reports of tornadoes, although more than 14,000 people remained without power by Thursday evening.

An emergency was declared in New Jersey and New York City, despite flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings being lifted in New York City by Thursday night.

Warnings of flash floods and severe thunderstorms continued to be issued in other locations until Friday morning, with rainfall amounts expected to range from 10 to 15 cm in some areas of the eastern U.S. coast.

The National Weather Service warned of potential flooding in small streams along highways, streets, and tunnels, and some areas could experience gusty winds and hail.