Tropical Storm Elsa soaks NYC as it races up the East Coast
NEW YORK (AP) — Fastmoving Tropical Storm Elsa hit the New York City region with heavy rain and high winds Friday, toppling trees and hindering some rail service as it churned its way toward New England.
Maximum sustained winds from the storm peaked near 50 mph as it moved past New York City and across the eastern tip of Long Island, the National Hurricane Center said in an 11 a.m. update.
There were some snags on commuter rail lines Friday, with slight delays on the Harlem Line north of the city and service suspended on the Long Island Rail Road's Oyster Bay Branch because of fallen trees. The storm struck a city already reeling from a deluge Thursday that flooded roads and at least one subway station.
Despite videos showing flooding in some stations in the New York City subway system, "we actually weathered the storm quite well," interim New York City Transit president Sarah Feinberg said in an email. Feinberg said the subway flooding lasted only a few minutes and caused only minor disruptions.
Up to 6 inches of rain was possible in some areas Friday, enough to cause flash flooding. The hurricane center said a tornado or two was possible through early afternoon Friday over parts of Long Island and southeastern New England.
The strongest winds were expected to stay off the coast of New England. But the storm was expected to bring heavy rain – up to 4 inches on the Maine coast – before blowing into the Bay of Fundy and Canada late Friday.