NEW YORK — Severe weather, including a band of heavy rain plaguing the tri-state area just ahead of Elsa’s precipitation, created a mess for commuters Thursday.
Elsa is expected to follow the storm system sweeping through the area, bringing its wind and rain into the region overnight Thursday into Friday morning.
Roads
5 p.m.: All lanes of the Major Deegan Expressway were closed in both directions at 179th Street in the Bronx. City officials encouraged commuters to consider alternate routes. NYPD officers were conducting rescue operations for stranded motorists.
Both the upper and lower sections of the George Washington Bridge had delays of up to an hour as of 4:20 p.m. Thursday.
All lanes of the Cross Bronx Expressway were closed in both directions at Jerome Avenue in the Bronx.
All lanes of the Harlem River Drive were closed in both directions at 164th Street in Manhattan.
Hackensack, New Jersey officials warned drivers to avoid flooded streets, of which there were many Thursday afternoon.
Transit
9:30 p.m.: NJ Transit trains in and out of Penn Station are running on or about schedule.
In New York, Canarsie-bound L trains are proceeding with delays after we removed a train with a mechanical problem from service at DeKalb Avenue.
6:30 p.m.: “Due to flooding conditions, MTA train service may experience suspensions or disruptions throughout the city. Allow for additional travel time.” –NYC Office of Emergency Management.
5 p.m.: New York Penn Station was operating with delays up to 45 minutes at 4:30 p.m.
Several NYCT subway lines experienced delays due to weather. These include B and Q trains, though others were experiencing issues for other reasons.
Straphangers reported flooding at several subway stations during Thursday evening’s rush hour.
Flight delays
5 p.m.: La Guardia Airport is experiencing delays of 2 hours, though the average was about 39 minutes, according to the FAA.
Delays at Kennedy Airport were one hour and 15 minutes, though the average was 30 minutes.
Newark had delays of one hour on average.
A travel advisory is in place for Friday, July 9, according to New York City Emergency Management.
