A flash flood warning has been issued for Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island until 6:15 p.m., with authorities warning people not to walk or drive where water covers the road, ensnarling commuters as extreme thunderstorms overtake NYC following a dangerous heatwave.
Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency to allow expedited NYPD, FDNY and emergency service responses.
Flooding conditions necessitated the closure of several popular routes in and out of the city Thursday afternoon, with city authorities urging commuters to find alternatives.
Starting around 4 p.m. all northbound lanes on FDR Drive at East Houston St. were closed due to flooding. Closures also impacted the Long Island Expressway, including at Springfield Blvd. going eastbound, and westbound at Bell Blvd.
Clearview Expressway is closed in both directions at Northern Blvd. and southbound Cross Island Parkway is closed approaching the Throgs Neck Bridge in Queens.
Service is suspended on the Long Island Railroad between Penn Station and Port Washington in both directions.
The subways are also experiencing major delays on the A, D, E, B, F and C lines, some of which was caused by earlier signal problems.
In an appearance on ABC7 NY Adams warned:
“Do not enter the subway for your own safety.”
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