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New Yorkers’ commutes were thrown into chaos Monday morning, as a powerful storm flooded streets and left thousands without power across the state before moving north in time for evening journeys home.
The gusty storm dumped as much as 4 inches of rain on the metro area Monday, Fox Weather Meteorologist Seth Darling told The Post.
“Almost everyone has seen 2 to 4 inches from Pennsylvania to the coastline, with much of the I-95 corridor closer to the 4-inch mark,” Darling said.
Central Park saw just shy of 2.5 inches of rain by Monday afternoon, with LaGuardia and JFK Airports notching 2.37 and 1.6 inches, respectively.
Higher rain totals were recorded in New Jersey and Connecticut. More than 4.4 inches of rain fell in Danbury, Conn. during the storm, the highest total in the state, resulting in flooded roads and several motorists requiring water rescues. Oakland, N.J. saw a whopping 5.24 inches of rain.
Gov. Kathy Hochul warned New Yorkers earlier in the day to be prepared for a difficult commute.
“My message is don’t become complacent and think that you can weather every single storm,” Hochul said on NY1.
“We’re giving these warnings, we’re only doing it because life could be a danger.”
“We’ve been warning people all weekend long that this could be a very treacherous commute and it is,” she added.
A flood watch remained in effect in New York City through 6 p.m., with a coastal flood warning in southern Queens.
Videos posted online showed cars being towed away from the heavily flooded Cross Island Parkway in Queens.
Subway service was also affected, with the MTA saying: “We’re running as much service as we can with the train crews we have available.”
The Verrazano Bridge was also closed in both directions Monday morning, and the New York City Ferry suspended its service on the Rockaway route, NY1 reported.
Drivers were also stranded in New Jersey when they attempted to pass through a flooded local roadway in Newark overnight, ABC 7 reported.
Rescue crews had to pull the drivers from their vehicles to get them to safety.
New Yorkers also experienced power outages, with over 55,000 customers across the state affected as of 8:45 a.m., according to PowerOutage.us, which compiles data from utilities. By 6 p.m., approximately 80% of those customers’ power had been restored.
Within the confines of the city, the majority of the outages were reported in Queens — mainly in the Maspeth neighborhood, NY1 reported.
Meanwhile, New Jersey saw more than 51,000 people without power at the height of the storm, and in Connecticut, more than 82,000 households were experiencing outages.
Matters were worse in New England, where more than 150,000 customers across Massachusetts and New Hampshire were without power.
Early morning flights were also affected with nearly 50 flights canceled while around 90 more were delayed at New York City-area airports, according to FlightAware, which tracks cancellations and delays around the world.
The New York Department of Transportation urged drivers to avoid crossing any flooded roadways, and city officials implored those living in basement apartments to move to higher ground.
All residents should also download the city’s emergency alert app, city officials advised.
The storm had shifted north by the afternoon commute, bringing high winds and heavy downpours to northern New England.
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