Severe weather had an impact on the Thursday evening commute across New York City.
Earlier Thursday afternoon, the potential for severe storms and flash flooding in the Tri-State Area prompted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency in several counties.
Parts of Queens seemed to get the worst of it.
At least 3 vehicles stuck in flooding on Clearview Expressway
As heavy rain pelted the borough Thursday afternoon, the Clearview Expressway was soon submerged.
“The weather got really nasty really fast,” Auburndale resident Zach Lintz said.
At least three vehicles got stuck on the thoroughfare, including a tractor trailer. Video shows one driver sitting on the roof of his car like a raft stranded in muddy waters.
“Couple guys got stuck, you know. They couldn’t go forward or backward, and the water just kept rising,” Lintz said.
“I was worried about the people inside. I was hoping they were gonna get out,” Auburndale resident Brie Taveras said.
First responders were able to rescue everyone from their vehicles without any reported injuries.
Flooding on the Clearview Expressway in Queens on July 31, 2025.
NYS DOT
Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry says the truck driver told them he got stuck trying to slowly drive through the flood.
“It was almost like a monsoon. There was just so much significant rainfall in a short amount of time,” he said.
The floodwaters were quick to rise and quick to fall. Crews have since cleared out the catch basins along the expressway, allowing the water to drain and traffic to resume.
Flooding blocks LIRR’s Port Washington line near Bayside station
Nearby in Bayside, parked cars nearly disappeared under rising water. One man left a note on his car saying it wouldn’t start and that he would be back tomorrow to get it.
The water was so fast-moving, it soaked the carpet of the public library on Northern Boulevard.
The FDNY had to rescue commuters trapped in an LIRR train.
“I walked to the front and saw all the water almost up to the platform,” one rider said.
Flooding blocked the Port Washington line just shy of the Bayside station in Queens after heavy rain moved through the area on July 31, 2025.
CBS News New York
Flooding blocked the Port Washington line just shy of the Bayside station. Passengers say the power turned off and all they could do was wait out the storm.
“After it got into the second hour, I’m like, I’m now getting hot. I’m getting sweaty. I’m claustrophobic,” another passenger said.
After the storm mostly subsided Thursday night, the NYPD and FDNY went to some of the low-lying areas in Queens to check on residents in basement apartments.
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