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New York woke up to severe flooding across the city, which led to the deaths of two people whose lower ground floors were deluged by rainwater.
The city experienced a flash flood situation, with Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and parts of Manhattan getting a warning. The National Weather Service said that a strong frontal system produced the storms, triggering heavy rainfall.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for New York City, in effect through midnight Friday.
According to the agency, sustained winds of 20 to 25 mph with gusts reaching around 40 mph were expected. Such conditions could result in fallen tree branches and scattered Halloween decorations or other loose items.
How did the 2 people die?
In one of the incidents of death, firefighters received a call from a person trapped in the basement in the East Flatbush neighbourhood, complaining of severe flooding.
And in the second case, a 43-year-old man died after becoming unresponsive in a deluged boiler room in the Washington Heights neighbourhood, the police said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe extent of flooding
City officials reported that flooding forced the closure of the Long Island Expressway in both directions in Queens and shut down the westbound lanes of the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn on Thursday.
According to the National Weather Service, Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn received 2.79 inches of rain, while Midtown Manhattan saw just over 2 inches. Central Park recorded 1.85 inches, and LaGuardia Airport in Queens measured 2.09 inches.
In parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, water rose above car tyres, leaving some vehicles stranded across the city. In the Riverdale neighbourhood of the Bronx, floodwaters reached the bottoms of sedan doors, the weather service said in its storm summary.