Heavy rain causes delays at NY airports

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

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

As of 12:30 pm ET, there are about 110 cancellations, or 18% of its daily schedule, and 108 delays, amounting to 18% of its schedule, according to FlightAware.

Passengers from LaGuardia’s Terminal A, which is currently closed due to flooding, are being transported to the larger Terminal C, according to the Port Authority. All Spirit Airlines flights, which depart from Terminal A, are cancelled until 3 pm ET. Frontier Airlines will operate their two remaining flights from Terminal C.

The rest of LaGuardia airport is open and operating and all airport roadways have reopened.

Meanwhile, there are 124 delays at New York’s JFK airport, but it’s not as impacted compared to LaGuardia. There have been no impacts to the AirTrain, a train service that runs between JFK and Jamaica, which is a major station on the Long Island Rail Road.

The Port Authority is warning that airport staff is monitoring runways, roadways and terminals and will redirect traffic if necessary. The agency will activate water pumps to alleviate flooding if needed.

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.

About The Author