Between Canadian wildfire smoke, flash flooding, scorching heat waves, and intense summer squalls, New Yorkers have certainly been put through the wringer lately. Unfortunately, that long-awaited break from severe weather isn’t here just yet.
A multi–hazard severe weather event is sweeping through the tri-state area, bringing torrential downpours, severe travel delays, flash flooding, and active tornado warnings across the region.
Here is everything you need to know about what’s happening and how authorities are responding.
Severe Weather Alerts & Active Warnings
Severe weather is pounding the tri-state area, pushing local emergency services into high alert. According to emergency management and meteorologists:
- Tornado Watches & Warnings: According to the National Weather Service (NWS), tornado watches are active across all five New York City boroughs and Nassau County on Long Island until 9:00 PM. Earlier in the afternoon, official tornado warnings were issued for Morris County, NJ, and northwestern Sullivan County, NY, with the NWS warning residents to take immediate shelter in interior rooms or basements.
- Flood Watches & Advisories: A tri-state-wide Flood Watch remains in effect through 2:00 AM Wednesday. According to NYC Notify, localized flood advisories are active across Manhattan and the Bronx, where heavy rain rates of 0.5 to 1 inch per hour are causing standing water in low-lying areas.
- Torrential Rainfall Totals: The NWS projects that localized areas could see up to 4 inches of rain, with rainfall rates peaking around 2 inches per hour during the worst of the squalls.
MTA Infrastructure Response & Transit Restrictions
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is actively working to prevent deep water from paralyzing the subway network.
According to MTA Chair Janno Lieber, transit crews are deploying across the city to manage the deluge:
- Backup Systems Deployed: The MTA is actively checking emergency generators, clearing track drains, and prepping backup pumps across all 286 subway pump rooms.
- Sewer System Bottlenecks: Lieber noted that while getting water out of the system is priority number one, municipal sewer backups mean water cannot be pumped off subway tracks fast enough during intense downpours, creating visible station flooding.
- Bridge & Highway Restrictions: To prevent blowovers during high winds and heavy rain, empty tractor-trailers and tandem trucks have been banned from all MTA bridges.
Tri-State Travel Disruption & Flight Ground Stops
Travel across the region has ground to a near-halt, impacting both air travel and local roadway commutes. According to updates from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local law enforcement:
- Airport Ground Stops: The FAA issued ground stops for flights heading to John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark Liberty (EWR) airports. Ground delays averaged over two to three hours across all three hubs, with hundreds of cancelled or delayed flights stacked up.
Images from the FAA’s official status page as of 2:20pm on Tuesday, July 21:
How to Stay Safe During Severe Weather
Local emergency management agencies strongly advise residents to stay indoors and monitor emergency alerts until conditions clear late tonight.
Stay Informed: New York City residents can sign up for real-time emergency text updates by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692.