Dramatic video shows a car completely submerged after flash flooding on Friday, one car on fire and trucks and buses struggling to plow through deep water in New Jersey and on Long Island.
Scattered thunderstorms battered parts of the tri-state area Wednesday as a line of severe weather moved into the region, causing pockets of heavy downpours and flash flooding in some places throughout the day, according to Storm Team 4.
Severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings were issued for New York City and parts New Jersey as the storms rolled in. Click here for the latest severe weather alerts.
The storms started to move over the five boroughs before noon. Loud cracks of thunder could be heard from buildings in midtown as dark, low-hanging clouds moved over the city. Flash flooding was observed in parts of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan as heavy downpours began.
Water bubbled over streets in the Gowanus and other parts of Brooklyn as the National Weather Service cautioned rain could fall at a staggering rate of up to 2.5 inches per hour near New Jersey's eastern shore. Business owners in Gowanus said the sewers backed up, sending water filled with feces and dead rodents into the streets.
Elsewhere in New York City, bicyclists tried to navigate waterlogged streets and fallen tree limbs crushed parked cars as residents waited for the more intense storms to roll through.
It was the second straight day of wet weather for the region. On Tuesday, isolated storms and heavy downpours pelted windshields and waterlogged roads. Heavy winds also bowled over a tree on the Bronx River Parkway.
Storm Team 4 says that weather conditions should greatly improve once the storms move out. Thursday and Friday should both be warm and sunny with temperatures in the low 80s. Sticky humidity that engulfed the region should drop overnight Wednesday, leading to more comfortable weather on Thursday that will last into Friday.
The weekend also looks pleasant, though humidity is forecast to climb back up amid a scattered shower or two on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will be in the mid 80s, Storm Team 4 says.
The beginning of next week is expected to be hot and muggy, with temperatures hovering in the mid-to-upper 80s. Storms could creep up in the afternoon on Monday and more storms are possible on Tuesday.
