3-5 in. of rain fell in parts of NYC area, no major damage; alt side parking suspended

Thursday’s storm was wet but not quite as wild as forecasters predicted and officials feared.

While states of emergency were declared in New York and New Jersey and residents were urged to stay home, flooding was largely localized and authorities reported minimal damage by Friday morning.

New York City’s outer boroughs and parts of Long Island were hit the hardest by the storm, spurring some rescues of car passengers on the Clearview and Staten Island expressways and of commuters on at least one Long Island Rail Road train in Bayside. NYPD officials said they did not receive any calls about major injuries or damage.

More than 3 inches of rain fell in parts of Queens and Nassau County, and more than 5 inches fell in parts of Suffolk County, according to preliminary estimates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other parts of New York City and the metro area got 1-3 inches before the system moved on.

“We did have pretty widespread reports where that heaviest rain occurred of flooding, stranded vehicles and that sort of thing,” Dave Radell, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said. He added that the rainfall totals did not seem to break records so far this summer.

The MTA was not reporting any weather-related subway delays Friday morning, but said the LIRR’s Port Washington Branch was running with limited service as crews repaired damage from the storm.

NJ Transit, the Port Authority and Amtrak Northeast were also not reporting any major weather-related delays Friday morning on rail and at local airports.

Alternate side parking was suspended in New York City on Friday as crews worked to clean up streets. Parking meters remained in effect.

A rip current warning was in effect for New York and New Jersey beaches until Friday night. Meteorologists warned beachgoers to stay out of the surf, and to swim parallel to the shore if caught in a rip tide.

Light rain was expected to linger during the Friday morning commute as the rest of the storm system cleared out. Cloudy skies and cooler temperatures were forecast to remain throughout the day, giving way to a dry, sunny weekend.

“We got through yesterday, and some better, more comfortable conditions are here today,” Radell said. “A pretty nice weekend is shaping up in terms of the temperature and the sunshine.”