Weather tracker: flash floods in New York and a heat dome in Europe | New York
New York City witnessed flash flooding on Wednesday, as large parts of Brooklyn and Queens received nearly 2 inches (50 mm) of rain in as little as 20 minutes. The flooding caused water to flow into the sewer system at a rate of up to 6 centimeters per hour, quickly overwhelming an old main designed to hold only 1.75 inches of water per hour, officials said.
Residents and commuters found themselves submerged up to their knees in floodwaters that were flowing at dangerously fast speeds in some places. In one of the videos, a woman getting off the bus is seen losing her balance and being swept away by a flood of water. Many major thoroughfares, including the Long Island Expressway, were closed and subway service was disrupted as water poured into stations. A large amount of mud and other debris was left behind; Videos showed garbage bags being swept into the streets along with loose garbage.
The showers were part of a series of storms that affected New Jersey and New York states; Strong winds also caused damage and disruption. Numerous trees and power lines were downed, leaving more than 10,000 people without power at one point Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Western Europe continues to swelter under a heat dome (warm air trapped under a strong area of persistent high pressure). The first major heat event of 2026 has come unusually early: temperatures in May rarely rise above 30C as far north as England, France and Germany; In most of them, temperatures are 10-15C above the climate average. Monday and Tuesday will be the peak of the heat wave in some respects; Temperatures will be most above average during this period, then the worst will be confined to France and Iberia later this week.
France has already broken May’s record of 30.5 degrees Celsius, with temperatures reaching the low 30s Celsius every day since Thursday, with higher temperatures to follow. Temperatures above average 10C are expected in places by the end of the week, and may reach 37-38C in some parts of the southwest.
Spain and Portugal have not threatened their May records (44.4C and 40.0C respectively) and are unlikely to do so, but they will experience the longest warm spell. In late May and the first half of June, temperatures will be 5-10C above average across Iberia. Temperatures have peaked above 30 degrees every day since Thursday and that’s expected to continue.
