Following days of smoky skies and soaring temperatures, the Big Apple and surrounding areas were met Saturday with heavy thunderstorms, downpours and flash floods.
Between two to four inches of rain fell by early afternoon Saturday, with up to an inch an hour expected, according to the National Weather Service.
The warning of “life threatening flash flooding” remains in effect until 3:30 p.m., the weather service said.
The heaviest rain has fallen in lower Manhattan and western Brooklyn and Queens, according to the city emergency management officials. Residents of basement apartments were urged to move to higher floors.
The downpours contributed to flight delays and cancellations at LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports on the eve of the World Cup final match in New Jersey on Sunday. Some arriving flights at Kennedy were delayed an average of an hour and 35 minutes, according to the FAA.
