New York City just wrapped up its wettest summer in five years, with repeated intense storms causing flooding across the city.
Central Park recorded 16.92 inches of rain from June through August, according to the National Weather Service — about 3.5 inches above normal.
August was the wettest of the three months, with 8.64 inches of rain recorded in Central Park. That was 4.08 inches above normal, the National Weather Service said.
About 40% of the days this summer were wet. Looking at June through August, 15 of 26 weekend days were dry, or about 58%. August had the most dry weekends of the three summer months.
The heavy rainfall contributed to repeated flooding in neighborhoods across the city.
City Comptroller Mark Levine said the five boroughs have experienced flooding of more than a foot nine times so far this summer, while rainfall of more than 4 inches has been recorded 36 times.
Queens saw 13 Flash Flood Warnings, 12 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and one Tornado Warning during the summer. New York City averaged about two weather warnings per week from June 1 through August.
Residents living in Hollis, Queens were hit particularly hard by back-to-back flooding events. A storm Aug. 20 marked the second flooding event in the neighborhood in three months, with some homeowners still repairing damage from flooding in May.
In Middle Village, residents also called for improvements to the city’s drainage system after repeated flooding in August.
In August, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection said it is “advancing a multi-layered approach to stormwater management — combining sewer upgrades with underground stormwater storage, rain gardens, and bluebelts that capture and hold rainwater before it enters the sewer system.”
“These improvements will help reduce inland flooding and protect nearby homes and streets,” the agency said in a statement.
Amid the wet summer, the city did see one heat wave and recorded its first 100-degree day in 14 years.