Powerful Thunderstorms Accompanied by Hail Batter Northeast, Causing Flooding, Power Outages, and Hundreds of Flight Delays and Cancellations

A man crossing Sixth Avenue at the intersection of 57 Street moments before the storm hit Friday night
Severe thunderstorms accompanied by high winds and, in some parts of the region, hail, lashed the Northeast along the I-95 corridor and beyond Friday evening. The storms hit hard and fast, leaving downed trees, flooding streets and roads, in their wake, and causing thousands of flight delays and cancellations.


There were numerous reports of flooded streets and downed power lines.  There were multiple reports of flash flooding conditions as well.
In Manhattan, within minutes of the start of rain after 6 p.m., several major north-south streets had begun to resemble rivers and umbrellas were unable to protect pedestrians from the precipitation.
The storms made for hazardous driving and a miserable Friday night commute. Extensive backups were reported on the New Jersey Turnpike and Long Island Expressway due to flooding and several FBT/Travelist staffers reported seeing multiple accidents on their drives.
There were 8,280 flight cancellations within, into , and out of the United States on Friday and an additional 499 cancelled flights.
There were 1,155 cancelled flights in the path of the storm  from Newark, New Jersey to Boston, Massachusetts, to Montreal, Canada including almost 700 at New York City’s three airports.
The airlines that saw the greatest impact include American, with 1,447 delays and 39 cancellations, Southwest with 1,434 delays and 19 cancellations, United with 776 delays and 46 cancellations, and JetBlue with 391 delays and 27 cancellations.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)