By Luke Snyder, Amanda Musa and Alex Stambaugh, CNN
The Cross Bronx Expressway in the Bronx has all lanes closed due to flooding, leading to traffic jams on the New Jersey side of the bridge in Fort Lee. Photo: KYLE MAZZA / AFP
Intense rain swamped the US East Coast on Monday, setting off dangerous flash flooding from Virginia to New York that killed at least two people and prompted dozens of rescues as water overwhelmed roads and subways.
Monday (local time) saw the most flash flood warnings ever issued in a single July day, with nearly 100 issued, primarily across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Flooding was reported near Newark, New Jersey, New York City, northern Virginia and southern Maryland, according to the National Weather Service.
Two people died in Plainfield, New Jersey, after a vehicle was swept away by floodwater, Union County spokesperson Kelly Martins told CNN in a statement.
Authorities responded to reports of the submerged vehicle around 2:30am on Tuesday, Martins said. Union County police assisted with 19 water rescues and the county's regional communications centre received over 1200 emergency calls in just two hours during the height of the storm, she added. The area saw rainfall totals between 3 to 5 inches.
More rain is expected on Tuesday across the southern Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic. Storms in the East on Tuesday will be more scattered and less intense than Monday's, but they could still bring some heavy rain wherever they bubble up - and with the ground already soaked in these areas, as little as an inch of additional rain could set off more flooding.
Showers on Monday dominated the Northeast by the latter half of the day and the heaviest storms arrived by early evening, threatening rush hour commuters.
New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency due to the flooding on Monday night, warning residents to "remain off the roads unless absolutely necessary". The governor on Tuesday noted some roadways remained closed as crews worked to "clear debris, make emergency road repairs, and remove abandoned cars caught in last night's flooding".
New York City experienced its second wettest hour on record Monday night after a little over two inches (51mm) fell between 7pm and 8pm local time. This record is only beaten by the approximately three-and-a-half inches (89mm) of rain recorded during the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021. New York City received a total of 2.64 inches (67mm) of rain, shattering its previous record for 14 July rainfall set in 1908.
Videos on social media showed water gushing onto platforms in New York's subway and flowing through subway cars as passengers crouched on seats. At least one subway station was flooded by the deluge, according to a spokesperson with the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Several trains were also suspended, delayed or rerouted due to the flooding, according to MTA's website.
Metro-North Railroad and New Jersey Transit said on their X accounts that they were also experiencing delays due to flooding.
Several airports in the New York City area issued temporary ground stops and delays on Monday evening, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and impacts were also reported at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Boston Logan International Airport.
In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, cars struggled to navigate flooded streets, according to videos on social media, with multiple people needing to be assisted, according to authorities.
North Plainfield, New Jersey, Mayor Lawrence La Ronde told CNN affiliate WABC emergency crews rescued people from at least 30 homes, after streets became completely flooded and were impassable.
In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 16 water rescues were reported in Mount Joy Township Monday afternoon, according to the Mount Joy Fire Department.
"Starting around 2:00pm, intense rainfall dropped over seven inches (178mm) of rain in less than five hours, overwhelming stormwater infrastructure and inundating portions of the borough," the fire department said in a Facebook post. "The west end of town was hardest hit, with reports of over five feet of water (1.5m) in some homes."
In Virginia, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency - the most severe flood warning - late Monday into early Tuesday for the cities of Petersburg and Colonial Heights, where upwards of two to three inches (76mm) of rain fell in less than two hours.
One gauge near downtown Petersburg showed the Lieutenant Run Creek rose more than 10 feet (3.04m) in two hours between 10pm and midnight Monday, reaching major flood stage. Water levels have since dropped.
"Many neighbourhoods are underwater," with downed trees and power lines, Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning. Crews were working through the night, "pulling people from flooded cars, responding to medical emergencies, clearing downed trees, and still answering every call for help," the department said.
Flood threats continue
More showers are expected to develop in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Tuesday afternoon, with a band of strong storms to stretch from northern Georgia to central Maryland.
Central and eastern Virginia, western North Carolina and southern portions of Maryland and Delaware are most at risk for heavy rain, though these storms will not be as extreme as those on Monday. Storms with the heaviest rain will arrive by Tuesday evening. They will likely move slowly, and rainfall rates of more than two inches per hour could be possible.
Showers will start dissipating on Tuesday night, clearing up in the region by early Wednesday. Weather will remain quiet until showers once again move through the Carolinas and Pennsylvania Wednesday afternoon.
Exactly where and when these storms will develop is still uncertain, but it will not take much rain to cause sudden flooding in places where the ground is already saturated. The highest threat of flash flooding is along and east of the Blue Ridge mountains.
Much of the area impacted by flooding Monday had seen up to 300 percent of their normal rainfall over the past two weeks.
Record-breaking flood events have happened nearly back-to-back in recent weeks, most notably in Texas' Hill Country, where more than 130 people died after catastrophic flooding on 4 July. New Mexico, North Carolina and other East Coast states have also seen life-threatening floods and historic rainfall this month.
More than 3000 flash flood warnings have been issued so far this year by National Weather Service offices around the country, with the current count higher than any previous year through 14 July since such records began in 1986.
Overwhelming rainfall is becoming more prevalent in a warming world, as rising global temperatures drive weather toward extremes. Hourly rainfall rates have grown heavier in nearly 90 percent of large US cities since 1970, according to a recent study from the nonprofit research group Climate Central.
Storms thrive on warm, moist air, and with the nation approaching peak summer heat, this month has seen the perfect conditions for flooding rain.
-CNN
