Queens was pummeled with strong winds, heavy rain and coastal flooding during last weekend’s autumn nor’easter, with some areas hit harder than others.
Per National Weather Service data recorded Tuesday, Little Neck got 3.35 inches. JFK Airport saw 3.22 inches, and LaGuardia got 2.34. Just over 3 inches were recorded in Jamaica, and Bellerose got just shy of that.
Areas by the coastline saw some of the worst flooding. Among the neighborhoods hit especially hard was Howard Beach, which the NWS said got 4.53 inches of rain. People were seen kayaking through the streets last Saturday to get to the JFK Airport train station [see separate story in some editions or at qchron.com].
The city’s Office of Emergency Management said water levels at high tide rose to 8.95 feet in Jamaica Bay, 8.31 feet at the Battery and 11.8 feet at Little Neck Bay. Those totals are from 2 to 4 feet higher than normal averages, per online data.
FloodNet readings indicated 24.7 inches of water on Davenport Court in Howard Beach.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. was out assessing damage there over the weekend, as well as Hamilton Beach, Arverne and Rosedale. On Facebook, he called for more infrastructure investments and action to fight climate change from all levels of government.
“Storms like this nor’easter are facts of life,” he wrote. “But to have our families be constantly flooded out like this — by rain and by surge — whenever a storm hits is a policy choice.”
Other areas saw less water. According to Daniel Kurzyna, chief of staff to City Councilmember Phil Wong (D-Maspeth), flooding was not as great an issue in the district this time. One Ridgewood resident said on Facebook that she experienced “nothing.”
But Wong’s office received reports of several outages and a handful of downed trees, Kurzyna said — Wong said on Facebook on Sunday that an outage affecting roughly 900 homes in Middle Village should have been restored.
“With all the debris and leaves that came down, the catch basins are all disgusting looking,” Kurzyna told the Chronicle Monday, adding that vacuum trucks were out clearing them.
Powerful winds toppled trees across the borough — gusts reportedly reached 45 miles per hour citywide, and per NWS data from last Friday night, JFK Airport saw 56 mph winds.
Last Saturday, one of many fallen trees across Queens, one near 77th Avenue and 88th Street in Glendale, brought down power lines and caused a power outage, according to Freedom News TV. A report of the incident on the Citizen app said property was damaged, the street was closed and firefighters responded.
In Flushing, a large tree near 155-07 59 Ave. fell and crushed a parked car last Sunday. No injuries were reported.
One post in the Ozone Park Residents Block Association Facebook group last Sunday reported a fallen tree near 96th Street and Plattwood Avenue. Per the post, by association President Sam Esposito, the tree came down across the roadway and damaged a parked car.
The tree was removed immediately, Esposito said, as was another that had fallen on Atlantic Avenue. He and other volunteers had assessed the locations and sent photos to the city’s emergency response team.
“We are grateful to the residents who reported these hazards and to the city staff who took our calls on a Sunday,” he said in a statement. “Their response helped address dangerous conditions for people living, walking, and driving nearby.”
Last Sunday morning, drivers on Yellowstone Boulevard near the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills had to divert as a tree blocked the road next to the Long Island Rail Road trestle.
Queens residents submitted 1,209 reports of downed trees, per the OEM.
In Brooklyn, the storm turned deadly when a New York City Housing Authority employee was fatally struck by a fallen tree last Saturday.
The city had issued a travel advisory from last Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. New Yorkers were encouraged to allow extra time for travel, and to stay home if possible. Several highly anticipated outdoor events over the weekend were canceled, including the All Things Go music festival at Forest Hills Stadium.
Mayor Mamdani said on X last Friday that the city has spent a third of 2026 under a Flash Flood Emergency activation.
Rain persisted into Monday, though it was sometimes on and off and gradually slowed down. During the morning commute, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority app warned riders that all express, limited, local and select buses in Queens were delayed due to the weather.
Residents and business owners whose property was damaged by the storm are encouraged to report it to reportdamage.nyc.gov, or call 311 to request services. Clogged catch basins can be reported to on.nyc.gov/311catchbasin.