weather

Large tree crushes car on Fifth Avenue after record NYC rainfall

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The skies have cleared following Saturday's record soaker, but some of the damage from the rain is still visible the next day across New York City.

Between the early morning hours and sunset, around the time the day's unrelenting rain finally cleared, more than 3.5 inches had been recorded at Central Park. Storm Team 4 said Saturday became the third wettest March day ever recorded.

Video from across the city showed a glimpse into the problems many New Yorkers faced during the weather system.

In Central Park, at least one car got stuck in floodwaters under the Center Drive overpass. And not far from the park, over on Fifth Avenue, a giant tree fell down over several cars.

The tree crunched the roof of a red sedan Saturday night after it fell across the length of Fifth Avenue between East 94th Street to East 93rd Street. The roadway had to be closed for most of the night.

The city's Department of Parks & Recreation dispatched a crew that spent many hours chopping up the tree and removing its large limbs -- eventually all that was left was the tree's stump and the crunched car.

In total, three cars were damaged.

The rain headaches weren't contained to just Manhattan. Drivers in Queens faced street flooding along the Cross Island Parkway. At one point, the NYPD had to close a portion of the roadway.

Leftover standing water remained a concern early Sunday. NYC Emergency Management cautioned people to be on alert for the potential for black ice after overnight temperatures dipped below freezing.

"New Yorkers are advised to take caution when driving due to the increased risk of black ice on roadways across the city," its X account posted.

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