New York City experienced heavy rainfall on Thursday, October 30th, causing two fatalities and significant disruptions throughout the city. Streets and subway stations were flooded, and multiple airport flights were affected.
Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that the torrential rain had resulted in the deaths of two individuals. According to the New York Police Department, a 39-year-old man and a 43-year-old man were found in flooded basements in Brooklyn and Washington Heights in northern Manhattan, respectively.
Furthermore, the storm disrupted flights at various New York airports. Officials from JFK International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Airport all confirmed flight cancellations and delays due to the severe weather.
Mayor Adams took to the social media platform X to express, “The rainfall brought by this storm has broken records; within 10 minutes on the 30th, there was several hours’ worth of rainfall.”
According to meteorological reports, Central Park received a record-breaking 1.85 inches (about 4.7 cm) of rainfall, LaGuardia Airport saw 2.09 inches (approximately 5.31 cm) of rain, and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey experienced 1.99 inches (about 5.05 cm) of precipitation.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued warnings for areas such as the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, indicating a possibility of flooding.
The meteorological department stated that this storm was caused by an inland cyclonic system and was not related to Hurricane “Melissa.” The heavy rainfall was expected to move north to the New England region overnight. On Halloween, the New York area was forecasted to transition to windy and dry weather conditions.