Prime Highlights
- New York City and New Jersey emergency proclamations during record rain and flash flooding.
- Transportation, rescue efforts, and emergency response overall hindered across the Northeast.
Key Fact
- 8 inches of rain fell in some locales, in 2–3 inches per hour rates that led to flash floods.
- At least 14 New York counties and the entire state of New Jersey issued emergency proclamations.
Key Background
An outraged storm complex shed continuous torrential rains and flash flooding in the U.S. Northeast on July 31, 2025, pounding Washington, D.C., and advancing into New York City. Rain, totaling 8 inches in several Queens neighborhoods and surrounding area, tested infrastructure, flooded major roads with water, and overflowed homes and public facilities. Emergency proclamations were issued to address worsening conditions.
In New York, it was worse when highways like the Clearview Expressway flooded, trapping cars and rendering driving conditions hazardous. There was a tractor-trailer submerged, with swift-water rescues of a driver and multiple passengers. Although the experience was disorganized, nobody was hurt. Subway trains were closed or delayed because of flooding, including submerged tracks and stranded trains in busy terminals reported.
Mass transportation was worst affected by the tragedy. A Long Island Rail Road train was stranded by floodwaters and power damage, performing in a dangerous evacuation of over 100 passengers. Passengers in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., were left waiting, as over 1,400 breakouts were canceled or disintegrated due to the storm.
State leaders, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, told residers to stay outdoors and avoid gratuitous trip. Basement apartment residers were told to dislocate to advanced ground as waters inched toward dangerous situations. exigency askers remained out late at night, and flood tide watches extended until late Friday morning.
This record downpour follows on the heels of a previously sodden July, with preceding storms paving the way for even more expeditious flooding. Experts say that global warming is boosting the frequency of such intense rainfall incidents, and the need for additional stormwater infrastructure and disaster preparedness in urban metropolises.
