New Yorkers, after days of heavy smoke and torrid temperatures, are met with thunderstorms and flash flooding
By Ray Sanchez, CNN
(CNN) — Following days of smoky skies and soaring temperatures, the Big Apple and surrounding areas were met Saturday with heavy thunderstorms, downpours and flash floods.
Between two to four inches of rain fell by early afternoon Saturday, with up to an inch an hour expected, according to the National Weather Service.
The warning of “life threatening flash flooding” remains in effect until 3:30 p.m., the weather service said.
The heaviest rain has fallen in lower Manhattan and western Brooklyn and Queens, according to the city emergency management officials. Residents of basement apartments were urged to move to higher floors.
The downpours contributed to flight delays and cancellations at LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports on the eve of the World Cup final match in New Jersey on Sunday. Some arriving flights at Kennedy were delayed an average of an hour and 35 minutes, according to the FAA.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also warned of possible power outages, down trees and road closures.
“I remind everyone to take this weather seriously,” Hochul said in a statement Friday.
The rains come as people in the Northeast have been breathing in dangerous air brought by thick, choking plumes of smoke from wildfires in Canada. There were nearly 1,000 active fires across Canada as of Saturday, according to its government.
Rain, shifting winds and a cold front should eventually help clear the smoke, though air quality may not improve everywhere immediately.
As expected, the weather created havoc on the roads.
All lanes of the Long Island Expressway at 188th Street were blocked in both directions due to flooding, according to the New York City Police Department. The Clearview Expressway at Northern Boulevard also had all lanes blocked in both directions.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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