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Long Island flooding: 2 months of rain falls on NY town

Long Island flooding turns roads into rivers after two months of rain fell in two hours on New York's Long Island Wednesday. The Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway was partially closed due to the Long Island flooding, police said

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Frank Eltman/AP
Firefighters cross a flooded intersection on Route 110 in Farmingdale, N.Y., on New York's Long Island, Wednesday during major Long Island flooding. Stranded Long Island drivers have been rescued after a storm slammed Islip, N.Y., with over 12 inches of rain — an entire summer's worth.
  • By Staff Reuters

| NEW YORK

More than two months' worth of rain fell in two hours on New York's Long Island on Wednesday, causing flash flooding and swamping cars on roads that were turned into rivers during the morning rush hour.

The National Weather Service issued the following updated advisory for the Long Island flooding this morning:

Residual flooding continues across portions of Suffolk County this morning after anywhere from 5 to 13 inches fell. Most of the rain has moved out of the area. The drier weather will allow any flood waters to gradually recede.

With the storm expected to end mid-morning, a total of 13.1 inches was measured at Long Island's MacArthur Airport in Islip, said Christopher Vaccaro, spokesman for the National Weather Service.

"Wow, they had more than two months of rainfall in two hours," Vaccaro said. "It's really quite a dangerous situation. Heavy rainfall coupled with the morning commute is a problem."

Lauren Nash, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told The New York Times that total rainfall in Islip, on Long Island reached more than 13 inches by 8 a.m., beating the previous daily record of 6.7 inches.

The Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway was partially closed due to flooding, police said, and television video of other roadways showed cars submerged up to their windows.

Flash flood warnings for Long Island and southeastern Connecticut remained in effect through the morning.

The weather system was the same one that drenched Washington and Baltimore on Tuesday, Vaccaro said.

For the latest updates, visit the National Weather Service.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Bill Trott)

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