New York, New York Local News

Saturday super soaker: Heavy rain causes treacherous roadways in New York City, Tri-State area

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NEW YORK (WABC) — Heavy rain in the Tri-State Area created an absolute mess of a Saturday. Flood waters across New York City made some roadways treacherous.

As the worst of the rain moved out on Saturday evening, the powerful winds and flooding will linger into Sunday.

RELATED | Watches, warnings and alerts from the National Weather Service

A car was stuck in flooding on the Cross Island Parkway. The flooding has largely receded, but roads in College Point were like ponds at the rainfall’s peak.

In the area near Bell Parkway, some drivers were turning around instead of trying to make it through the flooding. MTA uses on their routes were taking it slow and were still making waves.

In New Jersey, emergency management teams have a close eye on whether the Saddle River will crest. They say, by their expectation that will be between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday.

Anthony Carlo has more on flooding concerns in Lodi, New Jersey.

Lodi OEM tells Eyewitness News that what the area is dealing with the most right now is urban flooding. Because of the intense rainfall the area is seeing, drivers have had to tread carefully.

One man who lives in an apartment near the river says he has lost two cars due to flooding, but trying to move his car now creates more issues.

New York City officials say they were prepared for the drenching downpours.

MTA leaders said they don’t expect the rain to overwhelm the subway system completely, but they say they will be ready to handle any spot emergencies.

“We will have people in place at various locations across the system to make sure if there are any issues, we are able to respond, we’ll have folks out there with pumps, they are even going out today to do prep work to make sure that those pumps are functioning as they should,” said Demetrius Crichlow, SVP of NYC Transit Department.

The MTA is hoping to prevent flooded tracks that could cause delays for commuters.

The MTA says they will deploy trench covers across the subway system and inspect catch basins.

Officials with the Department of Buildings are asking property owners, contractors and crane operators to take precautionary measures during the day. Along with the heavy rain, there could be potential wind gusts of up to 40 mph.

They say if sites are not secured, DOB will take enforcement action.

The storm will also stir up strong coastal winds that could contribute to some coastal flooding and beach erosion.

Some areas further north and west of the city are under a Winter Weather Advisory for the chance of a few inches of wet snow.

The soaking rainstorm will be a quick mover and should move out late Saturday night to make way for a clearer Sunday.