The tri-state is reeling from a weekend of relentless rain that brought record rainfall, flooded streets and basements, and caved in several retaining walls that forced residents from their homes.
Showers picked back up again Sunday after a brief overnight respite from the near-constant deluge Saturday -- which came on the heels of a very wet Friday. It's been a rollercoaster-like stretch of weather for the New York area, with spotty showers giving way to sun, then more showers and some sun. But hey, that's spring, right?
At least half the region was under a flood watch going into Sunday, a warning that proved its point by nightfall as rising waters started stranding drivers.
New York City's Central Park recorded more than a month's worth of rain since Friday night, with 5.20 inches of water falling in 72 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Brooklyn's Boerum Hill saw even more (6.4 inches), while LaGuardia notched almost 6 inches. The rest of New York state, apart from New Rochelle in Westchester (6.05 inches) saw lesser amounts than the five boroughs. Bergen and Essex counties were hit hardest in New Jersey.
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See rainfall totals in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut here.
As if two days of rain weren't enough, Sunday delivered the final blow to close out a rather nasty weekend. An evening downpour flooded dozens of streets in almost every borough of the city, including the Long Island Expressway in Fresh Meadows where both directions were shut down for a time. Firefighters had to rescue people from flooded cars.
That wasn't the only place drivers need aid. Emergency crews helped a number of stranded drivers on the Cross Island Parkway near the Whitestone Expressway. Some cars had managed to wade slowly through the high waters -- others, not so much.
Flash flooding problems weren't restricted just to vehicles. Days of rainfall had saturated the ground, making trees prime takedown targets by the time round three struck. Trees came down all over, including one in Queens Village at Hollis Court Boulevard and Hillside Avenue.
In Brooklyn, residents in Bergen Beach spent most of the night trying to salvage basements as water and sewage crept into their homes. Families living along East 72nd Street between Avenue T and Avenue U were mopping up the mess in the low-lying neighborhood that is known to flood.
Residents say the flooding is not entirely Mother Nature's fault -- they say the Department of Environmental Protection is partly to blame.
"Within minutes, it was just buckets pouring. And it went on for two hours," Jennifer Bernhardt told News 4. "Today was horrible, it's like Irene to be honest with you."
Neighbors moved quickly to activate their sump pumps, but it wasn't enough to stop the rising waters from soaking furniture and walls. One man had to be hospitalized after he rushed downstairs to check on his basement and slipped, hitting his head.
"[The DEP] shut down the pipes when the sewage starts to overflow," Bernhardt said. A spokesperson for the department said crews have been fanned out across the city helping homeowners, and admitted coastal flooding in areas like Bergen Beach make drainage more difficult.
On the other side of town, residents of a six-story apartment building in the Bronx were forced from their home after a retaining wall collapsed. Five ground floor units were ordered to vacate by the city after crumbling concrete and debris crashed into the Valentine Avenue building in the Fordham Heights section.
"Everything is broken: the walls, the roof. I don’t know where I’m going to sleep tonight," one woman said. Photos taken from inside one of the damaged apartments show a bedroom wall caved in by the collapse.
A similar collapse up in Yonkers surprised a family on Elizabeth Place. The retaining wall next to the home gave way and crashed into the dining room of the house. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
We’ll be in an unsettled pattern for much of this week, with a chance for rain through Friday as an upper-level system remains nearby. It won't be a washout though, only light amounts are expected each day, with more clouds than sun. We start to dry out Friday night, just in time for the weekend. Stay with Storm Team 4 for all the latest developments. Sign up for our newsletters here.
Sunshine and near average temperatures are a bet for Saturday, and we’re back to 70 degrees by Sunday, through next week. Check out your 10-day NYC forecast below.
