By Michael V. Cusenza
New York City once again experienced biblical flash flooding starting from the early hours of Friday into Friday evening.
Since late Thursday afternoon through 3 p.m. Friday, Central Park recorded about 5.8 inches of rain, and John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) saw roughly 8.5 and 4.9 inches, respectively. Although not yet officially confirmed, the National Weather Service has preliminarily reported that JFK had its wettest day on record since Aug. 14, 2011.
This marks the second highest daily rainfall ever recorded at JFK, and the highest daily amount in a September, previously set by Hurricane Donna in 1960, per the National Weather Service. Both Central Park and LGA measurements are top-10 amounts.
Photo Courtesy of MTA
Rainfall totals exceeding eight inches were reported in Queens.
Adams declared a State of Emergency on Friday due to the weather. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for all of New York City, Long Island and the Mid-Hudson region as heavy rain continued to fall throughout Friday.
“We’ve seen a whole lot of rain fall in a very short period of time, which caused many issues related to transportation and power, but the good news is that the storm will pass, and we should see some clearing of waterways today and tonight,” Hochul said.
“I want to thank all New Yorkers who followed our guidance and stayed safe today, and I especially want to thank our first responders and city workers who stepped up to aid their fellow New Yorkers in need and keep our city going,” Adams added.
