Flash flooding across tri-state area prompts road closures, subway delays in NYC, state of emergency in NJ

Severe flash flooding across the tri-state area on Monday caused major subway delays and road closures across the Big Apple and pushed New Jersey to declare a state of emergency.

All five boroughs and Nassau County are under a flash flood warning through midnight, according to the National Weather Service.

“Flooding can be deadly and often strikes with little or no warning. Streets, basements, and below-grade spaces can fill with water in minutes. If you live in a basement apartment or low-lying area, be ready to move to higher ground,” NYC Emergency Management advised on X.

“Keep your Go Bag near the door and clear exit paths. Avoid flooded areas. Never walk or drive into water. Turn around, don’t drown.”

Westchester County was placed under the same alert until 12:15 a.m. after the southbound lanes on the Taconic State and Saw Mill River Parkway experienced severe flooding.

The 1, 2 and 3 trains were all suspended in Manhattan while the MTA addresses flooding across several stations, the agency said.

Inside the 23rd Street station, water appeared to be bursting out of a grate in the floor as it flooded the area near the turnstiles, according to a video shared on X. Water also spilled under the doors and onto the subway itself as riders took refuge on the seats.

“Oh man, I might need a diaper!” one straphanger joked.

Another inundated subway station featured a similar scene as surging brown water shot out of the floor and poured across the platform with no signs of stopping, stranding passengers inside the car, according to a video shared on Threads.

The Forest Hills-bound M and R trains are also operating under severe delays as multiple stations reportedly flooded in Queens.

Stairwells into the underground subways were turned into waterfalls while flood water gushed through stations, videos shared across social media showed.

The Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive in Manhattan had inches of water reaching up to cars’ tires shortly after 7 p.m., according to the NYC Department of Transportation cameras.

Drivers on the FDR had to carefully maneuver through the water as they inched down the road at just 2 miles per hour, according to a video shared by a driver caught in the flood on X.

People were actively driving against the current until they reached a point where the road was visible again.

For anyone needing to get into or out of the city, their options were limited after the Bronx River Parkway and Interstate 287 flooded to the point where drivers couldn’t even see the road, forcing many main routes to close, according to pictures shared on X.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and advised everyone to “stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel,” he wrote on the social media platform.

Throughout the northern parts of the Garden State, cars and even emergency vehicles in towns like Somerville and Plainsville were overwhelmed and even partially overturned.

A flood warning was also extended in Fairfield County until 12:15 a.m., according to NBC Connecticut.

Last August, Connecticut was slammed by the worst flood it’d seen in two centuries, destroying entire roadways and sparking mudslides.