What to Know
- Strong storms walloped much of the tri-state area Friday morning, stranding cars in flash floods and toppling some power lines
- The torrential downpours were blamed for at least one car accident; a vehicle flew off the road and ended up in a retention pond
- The showers and storms will push east quickly Friday night, providing the region with a much nicer Saturday
A two-punch storm system swept across much of the tri-state Friday, toppling power lines, flooding streets and creating hazardous conditions that trapped drivers in flooded streets and caused at least one car accident.
By Friday night, parts of Long Island, particularly Suffolk, saw nearly 4 inches of rain. Bergenfield, New Jersey, and Stamford, Connecticut, each got about an inch of rain. In New York City, Central Park had almost an inch of rain.
The storm came in two rounds: one pummeled the area in the morning, and a second line hit parts of the tri-state into the night, prompting severe thunderstorm and flash flooding watches and warning. Anyone traveling into or out of local airports were urged call their carriers. Get the most recent severe weather alerts here and track the storm using our interactive radar here.
Local
The storms brought down large tree branches and wires in Totowa, New Jersey, and the rapid rainfall rate caused flooding in some communities. Dramatic images showed Hudson Street in Hackensack completely under water in the morning, and the local fire department had to make several high-water rescues.
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In South Brunswick, New Jersey, a weather-related crash on Route 1 sent a car flying off the highway and into a retention pond, according to police. The car ended up submerged in 8 feet of water. A witness helped the driver, Stephanie Trent, swim out.
Parts of Suffolk and Nassau counties on Long Island also got walloped by morning storms. Huntington was particularly hard hit; video showed people pushing their cars through high floodwaters on New York Avenue as other vehicles sat abandoned. The Great Neck LIRR station turned into a waterfall Friday morning when floodwaters cascaded down onto the platform and the tracks.
In New York City, water was seen gushing from the ceiling of the 34th Street-Penn Station subway station. Some commuters said they had to buy new socks and sneakers on their way to work because the rain had destroyed them.
The showers and storms will push east quickly Friday night, providing the region with a much nicer Saturday. Some spots may see lingering showers in the morning.
It will be dry and warm the rest of the weekend. The work week looks to start out well, with mostly sunny skies and temps in the 80s forecast for Monday.