Live updates: States of emergency for NYC and NJ for afternoon storms dropping extreme rainfall

Live Blog EndedJul 31, 2025

NBC Universal, Inc.

An approaching cold front is expected to bring torrential rain to a swath of the tri-state area Thursday, prompting serious flash flood concerns in New York and already hard-hit parts of New Jersey
A widespread 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected, with isolated amounts up to 5 inches or more possible
The worst weather is likely to hit the metro NYC area during the afternoon rush, which could make the roads and rails especially perilous; mass transit is also likely to have issues
NYC subways typically start experiencing issues at rainfall rates around one inch an hour. Thursday’s weather could bring rainfall rates three times that — and at one of the worst possible times of day
Plainfield, NJ, where floodwaters swept away vehicles and killed two people just two weeks ago, looks to get hammered again with this storm system; a flood watch is in effect tri-state-wide
Once the system moves out, we’re looking at lower humidity and cooler weather for Friday. The weekend also is poised to be picture-perfect

New York City’s second heat wave of summer 2025 is in the books, now attention has turned to Thursday afternoon storms wreaking flooding havoc, with rainfall rates expected to exceed 2 inches an hour possible at times.

Follow the latest developments below.

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