Hochul declares weather emergency, airport delays because of heavy rain: VIDEO

Originally Published: 29 SEP 23 11:03 ET

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN

New York (CNN) — Torrential rain affecting most of the New York Metropolitan area is having an effect on area air travel.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this morning issued a ground stop for New York’s LaGuardia airport, holding departing flights because of flooding and heavy rain.

As of 11a.m. ET, there were about 60 cancellations, or 9% of its daily schedule, and 96 delays, amounting to 16% of its schedule, according to FlightAware.

An FAA notice said there’s flooding in the “fuel farm” and Marine Area Terminal at LaGuardia that is affecting “ground crew access to ramps.” The agency has warned airlines to “expect possible arrival holding into the LGA airport due to (thunder storms) and flooding impacting the terminal.”

The Port Authority, the agency that runs the airport, said it has closed LaGuardia’s smallest terminal, Terminal A, because of “severe weather.” Meanwhile, there are 76 delays at New York’s JFK airport, but it’s not as impacted compared to LaGuardia.

On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley due to the extreme rainfall throughout the region.

Intense rain at a rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour was falling across the New York tri-state area and is expected to continue through Friday evening.

Floodwater spilling into subways caused “major disruptions” to service on eight train lines in Brooklyn, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority announced. The floodwater overwhelmed sewers and roads in Brooklyn and Hoboken, New Jersey, forcing closures, authorities announced.