It is raining in New York City. A lot. So much so that it’s pretty much drowned the entire public transportation system, and now streets are flooding all over the city as its ancient infrastructure does its best to deal with the five inches of rain that have fallen in the past 12 hours.
Floodwaters have been splitting into subway stations and tunnels, causing “major disruptions” to subway service on a number of lines in Brooklyn. A quick look at the MTA’s website will show you that every single subway line in New York City is either delayed, rerouted, partially suspended, or suspended altogether in the case of four lines.
Underground isn’t the only issue, though. There’s plenty of flooding up above – where folks like you and me live. Roads in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens (and parts of New Jersey) are flooding because their sewer systems are getting overwhelmed. To be fair, this much rain in such a short amount of time will fuck up any sewer system.
According to CNN, over 8.5 million folks are under a flash flood warning on Friday in New York and New Jersey, and there’s still plenty of rain to come.
Governor Kathy Hochul has already declared a state of emergency in New York City and surrounding areas because of the rain.
“I am declaring a State of Emergency in New York City, the Hudson Valley and Long Island in response to the significant, dangerous rainfall that is currently impacting the region and is expected to continue for the next 20 hours. Ahead of this storm we deployed thousands of State personnel and I have directed all State agencies to provide all necessary resources to address this extreme weather event. It is critical that all New Yorkers take all necessary precautions and avoid flooded roads, which are some of the most dangerous places during flash floods.”
This is a developing story, and Jalopnik will update it when updates on the storm become available.