A coastal storm is expected to drop a prolific amount of rain over millions in New York City and the Northeast Friday, with rainfall intense enough to flood subways and roads.
Many places in the region began seeing rain Thursday night, but the heaviest rainfall is set to begin Friday.
The flood threat is impacting around 25 million people across the Northeast, and the New York tri-state area is facing a Level 3 of 4 "moderate" risk for flash flooding, the National Weather Service warned.
Intense rainfall rates topping 1 inch an hour are possible throughout the day, bringing the threat of a dangerous morning commute for many as the rain could cause serious flash flooding on roads and even in subway stations.
The urban flood threat prompted officials in New York City to issue a travel advisory starting at 4 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. ET Saturday, warning of potentially "widespread travel impacts" during the morning commute.
"We urge New Yorkers to prepare for heavy rain and potential flooding throughout Friday and Saturday morning," NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said. "All New Yorkers need to exercise caution. If you must travel, consider using public transportation and allow for extra travel time, and if you must drive, do not enter flooded roadways."
The city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority urged passengers to use caution while traveling.
"We're expecting heavy rain and possible flooding tonight and tomorrow, with especially heavy rainfall during the AM rush hour," the MTA said in a post on X. "Give yourself extra time to travel, and check service statuses on our apps or at http://new.mta.info before you go."
Even an inch of rain could cause flooding in some parts of the region that are still saturated from last weekend's storm.
Central New Jersey northward to Manhattan, Long Island in New York and into southern Connecticut and the Hudson Valley are expected to see the highest amounts of rain.
Meanwhile, neighboring cities of Philadelphia and Boston could too up to 2 inches of rain while Hartford could collect up to 3 inches or more. Overall, widespread rainfall totals between 2 and 4 inches are expected, but those totals could increase to between 5 and 8 inches in some areas.
The potential flood threat can be especially dangerous for cities like New York, where basement flooding caused by Hurricane Ida's remnants in 2021 proved deadly.
