NEW YORK CITY — A severe storm hit New York City moments before rush hour, sending commuters and tourists ducking for cover as large hail stones and raindrops fell over the area.
Flash floods covered area roadways and highways throughout the five boroughs as 1 to 2 inches of rain fell over the city over the course of one hour, law enforcement officials said.
Extreme heat reached 100 degrees before torrential rain sent New Yorkers ducking for cover under scaffolding and in stores.
New Yorkers marvelled at the loud claps of thunder, bright jags of lightning crossing the sky and sublime storm clouds, posting images of the spectacle on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Former NFL player Dhani Jones posted a striking photo of a swirl of storm clouds over New York City from his Instagram account, causing it to go viral.
"I've never seen a storm so concentrated," Jones wrote. "The power of mother nature!"
The rain also caused delays for straphangers and commuters.
The MTA reported subway delays as stations sustained mass flooding, and trains out of Penn Station were delayed 10 to 15 minutes, according to NJ Transit. PATH service was suspended for 45 minutes because of signal failure during the storm.
Con Edison also reported outages throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan during the storm and urged customers to "use energy wisely as the hot weather continues."
The utility reduced voltage by 5 percent throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn as crews worked to "repair electrical equipment," according to a public statement.
Customers can report power interruptions or service problems by calling 1-800-752-6633. Outages are also reported on the utility's outage map at www.conEd.com.
