Remnants of Hurricane Florence Soak NYC and Its Subways

The remnants of Hurricane Florence swept through New York City on Tuesday. While significantly weaker when compared to its time over the Carolinas, the storm still made its presence known with strong thunderstorms and bands of torrential downpours.

According to the NWS, 1.19 inches of rain was measured in Central Park. As impressive as that total is, it did not break the daily rainfall record for the date. That honor belongs to September 18, 1936 when 3.92 inches of rain was reported. New York City, on average, gets 4.28 inches of rain for the entire month of September.

The heavy rain caused flash flooding on roadways and disrupted travel across the city. Impacts were also felt underground as torrents of water poured into several subway stations through leaks in the ceiling and down the entrance/exit steps. Even the city’s infamous rats were seen sheltering from the rushing water.

This type of heavy rain event, according to NOAA, is expected to become more common as global temperatures continue to rise.

Heavy rain created underground waterfalls at several NYC subway stations on Tuesday. Credit: R.Mondshein/Twitter