Historic Flooding Brings New York City to a Standstill — Deadly Storm Shatters Rainfall Records
Jamaica Live International News– | Oct 31, 2025
New York City is reeling from extensive flooding and damage after a powerful storm dumped record-breaking rainfall across the region on Thursday. The deluge brought the city to a near standstill — flooding streets, subways, and homes — and leaving behind a trail of destruction that officials say will take days to fully assess.
According to the National Weather Service, Thursday’s rainfall shattered multiple long-standing records, including totals at Central Park, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport — each seeing their highest single-day rainfall in more than a century.
The unprecedented storm was blamed for at least two deaths, both involving victims trapped in flooded basements in Brooklyn and Upper Manhattan. Among the most tragic incidents occurred at Kingston Avenue and Rutland Road in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where a man drowned inside a flooded basement while reportedly attempting to rescue his dog.
Emergency responders from the NYPD’s 71st Precinct and the FDNY were quickly on the scene, deploying scuba divers to reach the submerged victim. He was pulled from the water and rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Across the five boroughs, roadways resembled rivers, trapping cars and stranding commuters. Major expressways such as the FDR Drive, Cross Bronx, and Belt Parkway experienced severe flooding, forcing multiple closures. Gusty winds also downed trees and power lines, adding to the widespread chaos.
The city’s major airports — LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark — reported significant disruptions, with dozens of flights delayed or canceled. Subway service was also heavily impacted, as water cascaded down station stairways and into tunnels, halting trains and stranding passengers for hours. NJ Transit experienced similar issues, with service suspended on several lines due to impassable tracks.
City officials have declared Friday another First Alert Weather Day, warning that conditions remain dangerous as recovery continues. The area is under a Wind Advisory from 10 a.m. to midnight, with gusts expected to reach up to 50 miles per hour.
Residents are being urged to avoid flooded areas, stay off the roads if possible, and remain alert for falling trees or debris. Cleanup crews are working around the clock to clear drains, restore transit operations, and assess the structural damage across affected neighborhoods.
Thursday’s storm marks yet another extreme weather event in what has become an increasingly volatile climate pattern for New York — a city that, despite its infrastructure, remains deeply vulnerable to the forces of nature.