New York City faces major flooding as heavy rain inundates region

(NEW YORK) — The New York City area is facing major flooding as heavy rain slams New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency as the rainfall rate reaches 1 to 2 inches per hour.

Flash flood warnings were issued in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island on Friday morning.

Brooklyn is buried under 6 inches of rain while Central Park has seen more than 4 inches of rainfall so far.

New York City emergency officials also issued a travel advisory.

All flights to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport have been put on hold due to the heavy rain. The Federal Aviation Administration said the airport’s fueling area and the nearby access roads are flooded.

Subways have “only extremely limited” service available, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said, and Amtrak is telling customers to prepare for delays on trains in and out of New York City.

In New York City, the heaviest rain will fall from Friday morning through Friday evening.

By Friday night, the rain will lighten up. Showers may continue Saturday morning, but the rain will move out of the Northeast by Saturday afternoon.

ABC News’ Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

 

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