JFK And LGA Airports Hit With Delays, Cancellations After Severe Rain Storm

NEW YORK CITY — Travelers in the New York metro area continue to deal with cancellations and delays on Tuesday at a number of area airports following Monday night's storm that produced more than 2 inches of rain in the city.

On Monday, 195 flights were canceled at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), 34 percent of its total schedule, according to FlightAware.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) had 126 cancellations on Monday. Both airports experienced delays and ground stops that lasted longer than three hours.

Tuesday morning, JFK currently has 40 cancellations, with JetBlue being the most affected as of 10 a.m. The airline is dealing with 15 cancellations.

In addition, JFK has a total of 145 delays.

At LaGuardia, travelers are dealing with 76 flight delays and 76 cancellations, according to FlightAware. The most affected airline Tuesday morning is Republic.

Record Rainfall in New York City On Monday

The city got 2.6 inches of rain overnight, and more than 2 inches of rain fell in Central Park in a single hour on Monday evening, forecasters said. This record is only beaten by the more than 3 inches of rain that fell in an hour during Hurricane Ida in 2021, according to AccuWeather.

In the Bronx, the Bronx River rose by 3.7 feet on Monday, spilling onto roads and nearly submerging traffic signs along the Bronx River Parkway, according to photos posted to social media.

In Manhattan, parts of the George Washington Bridge and FDR Drive were closed overnight due to flooding, and videos posted to social media show water gushing out of a sewer grate and filling up the subway inside the 1 train station at 23rd Street and 28th Street, as passengers crouched on their seats.
As of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, trains on the 1/2/3 lines were running normally, according to the MTA's website.

Though the storm will mostly clear out on Tuesday, the atmosphere will remain unsettled the rest of the week, with chances of rain and thunderstorms through Friday, according to the latest forecast.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service are also warning that a heatwave could impact the second half of the week, starting on Wednesday, with potential for 105-degree heat indexes.