A wave of heavy downpours drenched much of the tri-state Thursday, flooding some roads and delaying traffic.
Parts of nearly every roadway on Long Island, from the Long Island Expressway to the Sunrise Parkway, were underwater at some point during the day. Stranded drivers had to be rescued by firefighters. In Massapequa, one officer estimated the water was 5 to 6 feet deep.
New Jersey wasn't spared, either. Some Lindenhurst residents were stuck inside their homes as streets became small rivers.
The rain was dwindling to lighter sprinkles and showers overnight.
Badly needed rain has been falling across the region since early Thursday, helping alleviate moderate drought conditions for some parts of the region. Most areas saw between 1 and 2 inches of rain, which isn't enough to bring rainfall totals within sniffing distance of yearly averages, Storm Team 4 said.
Temperatures reached 81 degrees in Central Park shortly after midnight, making Thursday the 63rd consecutive day of 80-degree temperatures. Still, the cooler weather came as a reprieve to New Yorkers who have been suffering amid 90-plus degree temperatures in the park all week.
The cooling trend should continue into the weekend, with the mercury dipping as low as 73 degrees on what will feel like a comparably chilly Sunday.
The rain Thursday follows pop-up storms Wednesday evening that caused flash flooding on Staten Island, stranding drivers on the roads and flooding basements. The rain also doused parts of Brooklyn, drenching unaware pedestrians during the afternoon.
The weekend is on track to be a bit rainy as well, according to Storm Team 4. Storms are expected to push in Saturday afternoon, with rainfall lingering through Sunday morning.
