When It Rains, It Floods: NYC Subways Are Underwater Again—Here’s Why

If you’ve taken the subway in New York City this summer, chances are you’ve seen (or stepped in) some water. But what happened on July 14, 2025, wasn’t your typical puddle. In just one hour, the city was hit with over 2 inches of rain—the second-wettest hour in NYC history. Subway stations turned into waterfalls, and viral videos showed people wading through ankle-deep water just to catch a train.

 

The rain came down so fast, the city’s drainage system couldn’t handle it. For context, NYC’s sewers are built to manage about 1.75 inches of rain per hour—this storm exceeded that in less than 60 minutes. With nowhere to go, the stormwater surged up through drains and flowed straight into subway tunnels and stations. It was enough to shut down multiple lines, flood platforms, and cause chaos during the evening commute.

This wasn’t just a fluke. Experts say it’s part of a bigger issue: aging infrastructure and climate change. The subway system is over 100 years old, and while there have been some upgrades since Superstorm Sandy, a 2023 state audit found that the MTA hasn’t done nearly enough to prepare for extreme weather. In fact, it still doesn’t have a solid climate change master plan. Yikes.

So what’s being done about it? The MTA’s latest capital plan sets aside $700 million to fight back—things like raising subway entrances, installing better pumps, and sealing off street-level grates that let water pour in. The city’s also deploying Flex-Gates, special flood barriers that snap into place during storms to block water from entering stations. You might have seen a few already in high-risk areas like Lower Manhattan.

Beyond that, city agencies are working on street-level solutions too. The Department of Environmental Protection is adding permeable pavement, green roofs, and rain gardens in an effort to stop water from ever reaching the subways. Still, out of 472 subway stations, only 28 have had serious flood-proofing upgrades so far. There’s a long road ahead.

Meanwhile, Congress is weighing in too. A new bill called the Resilient Transit Act of 2025 could unlock $300 million in federal funding to help cities like NYC prepare their transit systems for climate change. And with congestion pricing officially rolling out this year, the MTA will have more funding than ever—$15 billion—to invest in long-overdue upgrades.

Bottom line: the water isn’t going away, but neither is the fight to keep it out. New Yorkers are tough, but no one wants to swim to their train. Let’s hope the city can move faster than the next storm.