Ida triggers massive flooding across Northeast

By Melissa Mahtani, Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner, Joshua Berlinger, Amy Woodyatt, Aditi Sangal, Adam Renton and Ed Upright, CNN

Updated 0401 GMT (1201 HKT) September 3, 2021
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5:26 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

At least 8 killed in New York City and New Jersey

From CNN's Alta Spells

Flooding is seen in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, September 1.
Flooding is seen in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, September 1. (Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock)

At least eight people have been killed in storm-related deaths in New York and New Jersey according to reports from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the Mayor Hector Lora of Passaic, New Jersey.

The NYPD is reporting seven fatalities in New York City and Lora reported at least one death due to flooding in Passaic.

8:06 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

Short fuel supplies in Louisiana are a critical problem for Ida recovery effort, says governor

From CNN's Madeline Holcombe

Fuel is in short supply in Louisiana, where many residents are relying on gas-powered generators in the wake of Hurricane Ida's destruction, and the shortage is slowing the long and complicated recovery efforts, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

More than 960,000 customers are still without power in the state, according to PowerOutages.US. And those in the hardest-hit areas could experience outages for weeks, the regional electric utility Entergy has warned.

As of Tuesday, as many as eight refineries were down, with one or two coming back up Wednesday, Edwards said, and the state is working with federal partners and with the business community to identify ways fuel can be brought into the state.

Fuel problem hampering recovery: When Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast on Sunday, the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, it was a Category 4 hurricane. It has since downgraded to a tropical depression and moved north, where its remnants caused heavy flooding Wednesday.

There have been at least five confirmed deaths tied to the hurricane.

As officials sift through the wreckage to assess damage, rescue residents and store infrastructure, the fuel problem is "impacting all of our recovery efforts," Edwards said.

3:39 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

Ida brought historic amounts of rain to New York and New Jersey

People make their way in rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 1, in the Bronx, New York City. 
People make their way in rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 1, in the Bronx, New York City.  (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

The remnants of Ida brought record levels of rain to the mid-Atlantic and northeast United States. Here are some of the records that fell:

  • New York City issued its first-ever flash flood emergency.
  • Central Park itself saw several records:
  • The park recorded its wettest hour on record, with 3.15 inches (80 millimeters) from 8:51 to 9:51 p.m. ET. The previous wettest hour was recorded just two weeks ago during the "We Love NYC" concert.
  • The rainfall in Central Park was a 1-in-500 year rainfall event, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rainfall frequency data, with 5.2 inches (132 millimeters) falling in only three hours.
  • The park recorded 6.95 inches (176 millimeters) of rain on Wednesday, making it one of the five wettest days in its recorded history. Weather records have been kept in Central Park since 1869.
  • Newark, New Jersey experienced its wettest day in recorded history on Wednesday. The city saw 8.32 inches (211 millimeters) of rain, shattering the old record, set in 1977, of 6.73 inches (171 millimeters).
  • In fact, Newark nearly reached its single-day record in just one three-hour period that saw 6.42 inches (163) pour down. To put that in context, NOAA considers 5.88 inches in that area in three hours a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event.
  • Flash Flood Emergencies, which are very rarely issued by the National Weather Service to indicate the imminent threat of catastrophic floods, stretched for 190 miles (306 kilometers) from west of Philadelphia through New York City.
3:31 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

Weather leads to delays and cancellations on Amtrak

From CNN's Alta Spells

Heavy rains in some areas of the northeastern United States has lead to delays and cancellations for Amtrak, a spokeswoman for the passenger rail service said.

"Due to weather issues along the Northeast Corridor, we do have a few trains that are significantly delayed or were canceled overnight. We continue to closely monitor and as of now, have not made any service adjustments for morning service," said the spokesperson, Christina Leeds.

Earlier in the morning, the Amtrak Northeast Twitter account also posted about lengthy delays of trains between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New Haven, Connecticut, because of the severe weather conditions. 

2:50 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

Ida's connection to climate change

From CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller

A person walks through floodwaters on Newark Street caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenching the New York City and New Jersey area on September 1 in Hoboken, New Jersey. 
A person walks through floodwaters on Newark Street caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenching the New York City and New Jersey area on September 1 in Hoboken, New Jersey.  (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Extreme rainfall rates like those seen in New York and New Jersey, as well as other recent extreme rainfall events in Tennessee, Germany and China, are becoming more common because of human-caused global warming, scientists say.

recent UN climate report stated, “the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events have increased since the 1950s over most land area.”

In the US specifically, the heaviest downpours have been observed to be increasing in all regions of the continental US, with the Northeast US showing the largest increase, according to the US National Climate Assessment.

"Warmer air can contain more water vapor than cooler air. Global analyses show that the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere has in fact increased over both land and oceans," the report says.
2:40 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

A tornado ripped through Gloucester County, New Jersey, destroying multiple homes

A tornado swept through New Jersey's Gloucester County on Wednesday, damaging multiple homes, according to CNN affiliate WPVI. 

Video of the storm shows multiple residences destroyed in the county's Mullica Hill neighborhood.

One resident said she heard the tornado approaching then saw all her backyard furniture swept away by the winds.

“I looked up and I saw my furniture just … whoosh,” Danielle Brenza told WPVI. 
“My backyard furniture just went and then we just went down into the basement,” she said.
2:13 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

People are stuck at the US Open, and authorities are trying to get them home

From CNN's Mark Moraless

Rain enters the court through the outer openings of the roof causing a delay during the match between South Africa's Kevin Anderson and Argentina's Diego Schwartzman at the 2021 US Open on September 1 in New York.
Rain enters the court through the outer openings of the roof causing a delay during the match between South Africa's Kevin Anderson and Argentina's Diego Schwartzman at the 2021 US Open on September 1 in New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

The United States Tennis Association is working with New York authorities to identify routes to get fans home from the US Open, according to spokesperson Chris Widmaier.

The USTA is sending vehicles out to look for routes away from the venue at Flushing Meadows, Queens, according to Widmaier. 

“Our goal is to get people out safely,” he said.

Limited train services are running from stations near the venue, Widmaier said.

The US Open, tennis' final major tournament of the year, is scheduled to run until September 12.

2:04 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

1 person has died in the flooding in Passaic, New Jersey, says mayor

From CNN's Alta Spells

At least one person was killed in the flash flooding that inundated the New Jersey city of Passaic, Mayor Hector Lora said.

Lora told CNN's Don Lemon the body of an elderly man in his seventies was retrieved from floodwaters. The vehicle the man was riding in was overtaken by water and firefighters were swept under it, making it nearly impossible for them to reach the man. 

Firefighters were able to rescue two other individuals from the vehicle, according to the mayor.  

1:58 a.m. ET, September 2, 2021

It will likely stop raining in New York City as the rainfall moves northeast

From CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller

The band of extremely heavy rain that dumped record rainfall and brought flash floods to New Jersey and New York City is currently stretching from eastern Long Island into eastern Connecticut. One-hour rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches are being indicated on radar in this area.

The rain in New York City appears to be ending.

Over the next several hours, this band will move into Rhode Island and Massachusetts, bringing potential dangerous flooding to other cities, like Providence and Boston.