Pre-Henri rainfall disrupts travel in NYC, forces drivers to abandon vehicles in floodwaters

The record-breaking rainfall that preceded Tropical Storm Henri flooded New York City roads and subway stations, officials said Sunday.

The "We Love NYC - The Homecoming Concert" in Central Park, meant to be a celebration of the city’s comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic, was halted Saturday at 7:30 p.m. during Barry Manilow’s performance due to lightning and was officially canceled at 10:30 before stars such as Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Paul Simon and Elvis Costello could take the stage.

Nearly four inches of rain were recorded in Central Park late Saturday, including 1.94 inches that fell between 10 and 11 p.m. on Saturday, the wettest hour on record for the city. An additional 1.84 inches of rain fell between 11 p.m. and midnight. By Sunday afternoon, 5.21 inches had fallen there.

All that water overpowered the city’s sewer system, causing flash flooding in Brooklyn and Queens that stranded motorists who were forced to abandon their vehicles. Part of Brooklyn saw 7.82 inches of rain, the National Weather Service reported, with Prospect Park reporting 6.88 inches.

In Park Slope, FDNY firefighters and NYPD officers rescued drivers who got caught in flooding late Saturday on Third Avenue underneath the Gowanus Expressway. Motorists were also stopped by flooding at Carroll Street and Fourth Avenue, officials said. In Queens, motorists had to ditch their cars due to flooding on the Cross Island Parkway and other roads.

Flooding also shut down the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and a portion of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in Brooklyn on Saturday. Flooding was also reported in Harlem and Bay Ridge. Video on social media showed cars stranded in standing water near the entrance to the Throgs Neck Bridge in the Bronx.

Water poured into subway stations late Saturday and early Sunday, forcing Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials to suspend service on lines late Saturday, and interim NYC Transit president Craig Cipriano urged residents to stay home if possible.

Hundreds of flights were canceled at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports Sunday, as well as significant delays.

"This storm is having significant impact on flight activity," Port Authority executive director Rick Cotton said during Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Sunday morning news briefing.

Con Edison said it prepared for power outages across the five boroughs by bringing in 1,500 mutual aid workers from other utilities to supplement the 12,500 workers it will deploy in the field when the storm ends. Several dozen customers in Brooklyn and Queens had lost power Sunday, according to the utility’s website.

The "We Love NYC" concert in Central Park was cut short by lightning as Manilow began "Can’t Smile Without You," his 1978 hit. An announcer urged the thousands of vaccinated fans to head to the exits and seek shelter. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had declared a state of emergency earlier in the day, told the concertgoers that the show would resume shortly, prompting in the crowd to return to the Great Lawn.

But it seemed obvious even hours before the concert was officially canceled at 10:30 p.m. — as nearly two inches of rain was soaking the park — that the show could not go on.

"The evening may have ended early but that feeling of #NYC coming back stronger than ever before will stay with us all year long," the mayor later said on Twitter.