Intense flooding and heavy rain swept across parts of the Northeast on Monday, causing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) to declare a state of emergency and causes suspensions on New York City’s subways. In addition, the state of emergency was declared by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. It was less than two weeks since flash floods in Texas killed more than one hundred people, which prompted concerns about the rising number of flood fatalities in recent years due to heavier rainfall, which is fueled in part by climate change. The flooding necessitated rescues, grounded planes, and vehicles that were submerged in water that was waist-high.
What you should be aware of
- As of Monday evening, there were at least 185 reports of flooding across the United States, with the highest number of reports coming from the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania individually. The overall pattern is consistent with what has been observed across the country this month, which has been fueled in part by the exceptional warmth of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
- The Eastern Seaboard was being on the receiving end of a tropical moisture plume that was connected to a tropical storm that was developing close to Florida. This moisture was harnessed by storms that swept from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast for the purpose of producing flash flooding.
- It is anticipated that additional storms will be present on Tuesday, although it is not anticipated that these storms will be as intense or widespread. Additionally, it is anticipated that there will be an additional surge of heavy storms that could potentially cause flooding in the region from Wednesday to Friday.
Where was the flooding and what was affected?
Estimates from radar indicate that more than six inches of rain fell in a short period of time in the northern region of New Jersey.
Newark Liberty International Airport has reported that flights have been grounded, delayed, and disrupted, and officials from the state of New Jersey have warned residents to avoid traveling if it is not absolutely necessary. Submerged cars that were caught by the sudden floods, including those on the New Jersey Turnpike, were shown in videos that were shared on social media. Buses were also delayed as a result with these videos.
In a post on social media, Shawn LaTourette, who is the head of the Department of Environmental Protection in the state of New Jersey, stated that approximately one sixth of the state is located in a floodplain. He also stressed the importance of residents taking flood warnings seriously.
Union County, Essex County, and Somerset County were among the counties in the state that were found to be affected.
In the meantime, New York City experienced the second-highest hourly rainfall since 1943 because it received two inches of rain in thirty minutes. Additionally, the city experienced significant flooding. There were disruptions to train services, roads were flooded, and subways were flooded; however, it was anticipated that the precipitation would decrease over the course of the night.
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania. At an earlier time on Monday, a flood watch was issued for the counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, Schuylkill, and York.
The National Weather Service reported that overnight flash flood warnings were issued as far south as Petersburg, Virginia, where several water rescue operations were already underway.
Extreme flooding events are on the rise
As a result of the National Weather Service’s data, the number of people who have died as a result of flooding has increased in recent years. 145 deaths were reported across the country in 2024 as a result of floods. This number is significantly higher than the average of 85 deaths per year over the past 25 years.
According to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, the severity and frequency of extreme flooding events are on the rise across the United States, and it is likely that these trends will continue to worsen in the years to come due to climate change. According to him, as temperatures continue to rise, more amount of moisture will be able to accumulate in the atmosphere, which will result in more intense rainfall.
“There is a significant difference between the climate that exists today and what it was a few decades ago,” Swain stated. It is for this reason that we are witnessing an extraordinary number of these events this summer.
In order to demonstrate that the occurrence of heavy rainfall events has become more common in the 21st century, Swain referred to the tallies that have been compiled in New York City. Since 1943, New York City has been collecting data on the amount of rainfall that falls during each hour. The top four hours with the most rainfall occurred after the year 2020. Within the last century, nine of the top ten hours have taken place.
